140  Pacific 


Joshua  Humble 

Jl  Tale  of  Old  St.  Louis 


By 

•• 

Edgar  'Rice  Beach 


St.  Louis 

Edward  R.  Eddins  fr  Co. 
Publishers 


Copyright  by  the  Jtuthor 
Edgar  R.  Beach, 

Z>«c«mfr«r  *, 


"Everything  Comes  To  Him  Who  Waits." 


Contents. 

Page. 
CHAPTER  I. 

Joshua  Rumble's  Early  Morning  Experience— The  Dread- 
ful News  Communicated  to  Him  by  Mrs.  Sly — Sol 
Miserleigh's  Morning  Greeting  to  Mr.  Humble  and 
its  Dramatic  Climax 13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Mr.  Humble's  Blunt  Statement  of  an  Occurrence  which 
Surprised  and  Gratified  Sol  Miserleigh,  and  Cleared 
Away  all  Obstacles  to  the  Accomplishment  of  a 
Scheme  Then  in  Process  of  Evolution — Sam  Slick, 
"The  Human  Cyclone,"  and  the  Backward  Twist  He 
Received  from  an  Unexpected  Source 25 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Plucking  of  a  Green  Gosling  and  its  Departure  for 
Pastures  New — Mr.  Humble's  Secret  and  Impressive 
Warning  to  George  Langdon,  which  He  Failed  to 
Comprehend 31 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Mrs.  O'Keefe's  Pathetic  Tribute  to  the  Memory  of  Will- 
iam Barnes — An  Informal  Discussion  Concerning  the 
Dead  Millionaire  by  Mrs.  Sly,  Becky  Falser  and 
Jerusha  Snuffer — Mrs.  O'Keefe's  Stinging  Rebuke  to 
the  Gossips — Joshua  Humble's  Midnight  Promenade 

(3) 

2061772 


and  Sorrowful  Meditations — A  Soothing  Balm  for  a 
Wounded  Spirit  43 

CHAPTER  V. 

Sol  Miserleigh's  Residence  and  its  Gloomy  Surroundings — 
Its  Strange  Occupants  and  Their  Peculiar  Character- 
istics— Mrs.  Miserleigh's  Home  Welcome  to  Sol  and 
the  Startling  Events  which  Immediately  Followed 
His  Arrival — A  Veritable  Dance  of  Demons 51 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Mad  Aurelia's  Mournful  Reminiscences  which  Awed  Her 
Mother  and  Brother  Into  Silence — Weird  Hallucina- 
tions of  a  Mind  Diseased — A  Stinging  Indictment  of 
the  Robbers  of  Her  Reason  and  Happiness — A  Gleam 
of  Memory  in  a  Brain  Enveloped  with  Darkness.....  57 

CHAPTER  VII. 

A  Dramatic  Interview  Between  Sol  Miserleigh  and  His 
Mother — The  Mystery  of  a  Half-Forgotten  Tragedy 
Partially  Revealed. — Details  of  an  Infamous  Con- 
spiracy Calmly  Explained 61 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Mrs.  Miserleigh's  Motives  for  Wrecking  Aurelia's  Life 
Explicitly  Made  Known  to  Sol — The  Peculiar  and 
Deliberate  Manner  in  which  it  was  Accomplished 
Clearly  Set  Forth — A  Deadly  Potion  which  Accom- 
plished its  Purpose  Quickly  and  Well — A  Mother's 
Savage  Warning  to  Her  Son 66 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Early  Morning  Incidents  at  the  Residence  of  Jacob  Blum 
— A  Startling  Revelation  by  "Amos,  the  Fox" — What 
Hunchback  Mose  Saw  and  Heard  in  Front  of  the 

Barnes   Residence    7° 

(4) 


CHAPTER  X. 

A  Marvelous  Physical  and  Mental  Transformation — 
Martha's  Kindness  to  Hunchback  Mose — His  Pa- 
thetic Expressions  of  Gratitude  and  Pledge  of  Friend- 
ship— Questions  Concerning  Her  Name  Which 
Brought  Forth  an  Interesting  Explanation 78 

CHAPTER  XI. 

A  March  of  Ghosts  of  Past  Events— Martha's  Thrilling 
Recollections  of  Early  Childhood — Scenes  and  Inci- 
dents Photographed  Upon  a  Human  Brain — Martha's 
Beautiful  Day-Dream  and  its  Dramatic  Conclusion 84 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Some  of  the  Circumstances  Surrounding  the  Death  of 
William  Barnes — Spiteful  Croakings  of  the  "Three 
Graces  of  Satan" — Mrs.  O'Keefe's  Sad  Farewell  to 
Her  Dead  Friend  and  Benefactor 90 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Sol  Miserleigh's  Mysterious  Sunday  Occupation  at  His 
Office — Thrilling  Incidents  at  the  Barnes  Residence 
Over  the  Casket  of  the  Dead  Millionaire — Mad 
Aurelia's  Sudden  Appearance  and  Her  Startling  Ac- 
cusations    <X> 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Continuation  of  the  Flight  of  the  Green  Gosling — Inter- 
esting Reminiscences  Concerning  Joshua  Humble  and 
Sol  Miserleigh — Mr.  Slick's  Comical  Efforts  to  For- 
get a  Disagreeable  Subject — A  Confidence  Man's  Vir- 
tuous Resolution  108 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Sad  Meditations  of  Two  Travelers  During  a  Dreary  Jour- 
ney— The  Mysterious  Influence  for  Good  Which  Took 

(5) 


Possession  of  the  Heart  of   Sam   Slick  and   Marked 
the  Beginning  of  a  New  Life 114 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  Grieved  Expression  of  Countenance  Which  Caused  a 
Flood  of  Sad  and  Tender  Recollections  to  Sweep 
Over  the  Mind  of  Sam  Slick — His  Droll  By-play  to 
Divert  Attention  from  His  Embarrassment — An  Alli- 
ance of  Friendship  Under  Peculiar  Circumstances....  119 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Sol  Miserleigh's  Abandoned  Building  with  Secret  En- 
trance— "Hairlip  Brown"  and  His  Intelligent  Brute 
Companion — The  Near  Approach  of  Animal  Instinct 
to  Human  Intelligence  Practically  Illustrated 126 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Animal  Tenants  of  Miserleigh's  Rookery — Their  Peculiar 
Characteristics  and  Aggressiveness — A  Musical  Chal- 
lenge to  Battle  and  the  Dreadful  Slaughter  Which 
Ensued 132 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Trappers  of  Men  in  Council,  and  the  Floundering  of  a 
Snarer  Entangled  in  His  Own  Net — A  Conspiracy 
Surrounded  by  Many  Complications 138 

CHAPTER  XX. 

A  Strange  Visitor  at  the  Residence  of  Joshua  Humble  and 
the  Ignoble  Flight  of  Two  Eavesdroppers — Judge 
Prye's  Startling  Interrogation  and  Mr.  Humble's  In- 
tense Mental  Anguish 143 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Joshua  Humble's  Frank  Explanation  Concerning  His 
Business  Relations  with  Sol  Miserleigh — A  Plain 
Statement  of  Facts  Which  Astonished  Judge  Prye — 

(6) 


How  a  Snare  was  Woven  and  Cast  Which  Deprived 
Its  Victim  of  Fortune  and  Reduced  Him  to  a  Condi- 
tion of  Servitude  150 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

A  Quick  Transition  from  Opulence  to  Penury— Fiendish 
Greed  of  the  Robber  and  the  Methods  Employed  to 
Gradually  Enslave  the  Victim— A  Valiant  and  Suc- 
cessful Struggle  Against  Evil  Machinations  and  Pov- 
erty— Preparations  for  the  Weaving  of  a  Net  in  which 
to  Entangle  a  Snarer  of  Men 156 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Old  Mother  Hurt  at  Home— Entertains  the  "Three  Graces 
of  Satan"— Jerusha  Snuffler  Wrestles  with  a  Crystal 
Drop  and  Mrs.  Sly  and  Becky  Falser  Labor  Under 
Great  Conversational  Difficulties 161 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  Successful  Completion  of  a  Crazy  Quilt  Followed  by 
a  Sumptuous  Repast — An  Immense  Hash  of  False- 
hood Containing  a  Slight  Seasoning  of  Truth — 
Mother  Hurt's  Sensational  Story  Concerning  Mad 
Aurelia  and  Her  Children — A  Pebble  of  Fact  which 
Disturbed  an  Ocean  of  Fiction 167 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

A  Shrewd  Bargain  and  Sale  of  Old  Rags  Precipitates 
Momentous  Events — A  Professional  Visit  of  Mother 
Hurt  to  the  Residence  of  Jacob  Blum  Results  in  In- 
teresting Discoveries — Martha's  Terror  in  the  Pres- 
ence of  the  D'octress  Enables  Jacob  to  Solve  a  Com- 
plex Problem  176 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

The  Detection  of  a  Detective  Reveals  an  Infamous  Scheme 
and  Enables  the  Discoverer  to  Dictate  the  Terms  of  a 
Compromise— A  Skillful  Intriguer  Cleverly  Unmasked  185 

CO 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  Beginning  of  an  Acquaintance  Between  a  Human 
Brute  and  a  Human  Mental  Monstrosity — A  Criminal 
Alliance  for  the  Furtherance  of  Individual  Interests 
Widely  Different  190 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A  Demand  which  Startled  and  Unnerved  an  Outlaw — The 
Faithful  Fulfillment  of  a  Momentous  Obligation  Re- 
luctantly Acknowledged — How  a  Brutal  Tyrant  Be- 
came an  Obsequious  Suppliant — An  Ingenious  Snare 
which  Failed  to  Catch  the  Game 197 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Resurrection  of  a  Superb  Mind — A  Pliant  Menial 
Transformed  into  a  Majestic  Being — An  Emancipa- 
tion which  Changed  the  Current  of  Many  Lives — 
Joshua  Humble's  Joyous  Welcome  Home — An  Im- 
portant Invention  Utilized  in  the  Detection  of  Crime. .  204 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

A  Wolf  Conquered  by  a  Lamb — Some  Important  Dis- 
coveries by  Mr.  Humble  Communicated  to  Judge 
Prye — A  Clever  Fraud  Revealed  by  a  Scientific 
Mechanical  Process 209 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

A  Revelation  Concerning  the  Peculations  of  Executors — 
The  Perils  of  an  Estate  in  Process  of  Settlement  and 
Division — A  Mutual  Admiration  Society  Composed  of 
Two  Congenial  Old  Gentlemen — A  Complete  Chain 
of  Evidence  of  Crime  Skillfully  Wrought — A  Poacher 
Caught  in  His  Own  Toils 213 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

A  Great  City  at  Sunrise  on  an  Eventful  Sabbath  Morning 
— The  "Three  Graces  of  Satan"  Abroad  and  the  Cir- 

(8) 


cumstances  of  a  Night's  Adventure — A  Luncheon 
During  "The  Wee  Sma'  Hours"  with  a  Fishwoman 
as  Hostess — Mrs.  Sly's  Spirituous  Consolation  to  Her 
Professional  Associates  and  its  Results 219 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

A  Cruel  Slander  which  Aroused  the  Indignation  of  a  Vir- 
tuous Soul  and  Furnished  a  Clue  for  Investigation  of 
a  Mystery — A  Marvelous  Personal  Transformation 
and  its  History — Pathetic  Incidents  Accompanying 
the  Presentation  of  a  Gift 225 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Joshua  Humble's  Many  Pleasant  Experiences  During  the 
First  Day  of  His  Changed  Condition — An  Elastic 
Conscience  Scourged  by  the  Knowledge  of  its  Own 
Guilt  and  the  Fear  of  Consequences 231 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

A  Vile  Slander  which  Recoiled  Upon  Its  Authoi — The 
Police  Captain's  Cogitations  and  Logical  Deductions 
— Some  of  the  Results  of  the  Putting  Together  of 
This  and  That  238 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Startling  Information  Communicated  by  "Amos  the  Fox" 
Plunges  Sol  Miserleigh  into  a  Chaotic  Condition  of 
Mind  and  Precipitates  a  Crisis 241 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

A  Visit  of  Jacob  Blum  and  Sol  Miserleigh  to  the  Ren- 
dezvous of  ''Harelip  Brown"  Results  in  a  Sensational 
Denouement  and  the  Unceremonious  Parting  of  Con- 
spirators   245 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Sol  Miserleigh's  Return  to  His  Home  at  the  Close  of  a 
Day  of  Momentous  Events— Mrs.  Miserleigh's  Savage 

(9) 


Greeting  and  Her  Dramatic  Disclosures — An  Igno- 
minious Banishment  and  the  Tragical  Termination  of 
a  Tempest  of  Grief 249 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

« 
Amusing  Experiences  of  Paul  Dyke  and  George  Langdon, 

with  Representatives  of  Mushroom  Fashionable  So- 
ciety— M.  Marie  Whiffle  and  W.  Potter  Stunner  as 
Samples  of  Vulgar  Plutocracy — Paul  Dyke's  Humor- 
ous Analysis  of  Character  and  His  Dissertation  on 
the  Wonders  of  Evolution  from  Plebeian  to  Aristocrat  253 

CHAPTER  XL. 

A  Carnival  of  Shoddyites  in  which  W.  Potter  Stunner 
and  M.  Marie  Whiffle  are  very  Conspicuous — An 
August  Scion  of  European  Nobility  as  a  Greedy  Mo- 
nopolist and  Scornful  Usurper 260 

CHAPTER  XLI. 

A  Bewildering  "Hop"  with  a  Sensational  Interruption — 
A  Gymnastic  Exhibition  Not  Down  on  the  Pro- 
gramme— A  Tragedy  Narrowly  Averted  by  Female 
Diplomacy — A  Startling  Disclosure  and  an  Ignomini- 
ous Flight 264 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

The  Receipt  of  a  Telegram  Disturbs  the  Equanimity  of 
Paul  Dyke  and  Leads  to  Explanations  of  a  Delicate 
Character — The  Image  of  a  Dead  Friend  Revealed  to 
Paul  by  Langdon's  Emotion — A  Moral  Regeneration 
Accomplished  by  the  Revival  of  Sacred  Memories 270 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 

A  Still  Hunt  which  Failed  to  Uncover  the  Game — A  Snare 
which  Failed  in  its  Operation  by  Reason  of  the  Tardi- 
ness of  the  Trappers — What  the  Police  Captain  Found 
in  the  Fireplace  at  the  Rendezvous  of  "Harelip 

Brown"    , 27$ 

(10) 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Some  Pathetic  Incidents  at  the  Home  of  Jacob  Blum — 
The  Sad  Ending  of  a  Life  of  Pain  and  Sorrow — An 
Unsuccessful  Effort  to  Solve  a  Complex  Problem — 
Mr.  Grubb's  Self-Satisfied  Posture  in  Front  of  Sol 
Miserleigh's  Office  and  His  Significant  Display  of 
Fetters  to  the  Police  Patrol 279 

CHAPTER  XLV. 

An  Early  Morning  Visit  to  the  Residence  of  Sol  Miser- 
leigh — Old  Pompey's  Terror  and  Protestations  of  In- 
nocence— A  Search  and  a  Dreadful  Discovery  in  the 
Apartment  of  Mad  Aurelia  in  the  Tower — A  Letter 
which  Explained  a  Mystery 283 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 

A  Letter  and  Legal  Document  which  Greatly  Surprised 
Mr.  Humble  and  Removed  Business  Complications  of 
a  Serious  Character — Mr.  Grubb's  Complaisance  and 
Pleasant  Anticipations  Completely  Dispelled — Joshua 
Humble's  Prophesy  and  Warning 266 

CHAPTER  XLVII. 

The  Aftermath  of  a  Conspiracy  Demoralizes  a  Bold 
Schemer — A  Shrewd  Mind  in  a  Chaotic  Condition — 
An  Aimless  Flight  and  a  Quick  Answer  to  an  Appeal 
to  Deity  292 

CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

A  Sudden  and  Arbitrary  Change  in  the  Current  of  a 
Human  Life — A  Visit  to  the  Home  of  Jacob  Blum 
and  its  Gratifying  Results — Martha's  Changed  Con- 
dition and  Wonderful  Transformation 295 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 

Some  Dramatic  Incidents  at  the  Residence  of  Joshua 
Humble — Echoes  of  Footsteps  which  Thrill  the  Heart 

(ID 


of  Valentia — A  Joyous   Reunion   and  the   Beginning 
of  a  New  Era — The  Prophetic  Dream  of  Little  Alice. .  299 

CHAPTER  L. 

Important  Occurrences  of  an  Eventful  Year — Two  Deso- 
late Mansions  Restored  to  Their  Former  Magni- 
ficence and  Retenanted — Removal  of  Relics  of  Years 
of  Sorrow  and  Humiliation — Evidences  of  a  Mysteri- 
ous, Supernatural  Power  in  the  Control  of  Human 
Events 304 

CHAPTER  LI. 

Dramatic  Experiences  of  Mr.  Grubb  in  Search  of  an  Old 
Acquaintance — A  Lone  Cabin  in  the  Ozark  Mountains 
and  its  Peculiar  Occupant — An  Enforced  March  Be- 
fore the  Muzzle  of  a  Loaded  Rifle 307 

CHAPTER  LII. 

A  Shrewd  and  Persistent  Sleuth  on  a  Long,  Cold  Trail — 
A  Dreary  Hunt  on  a  Desolate,  Treeless  Plain — A 
Fugitive  Driven  to  Cover  and  a  Narrow  Escape 310 

CHAPTER  LIII. 

Fugitive  and  Sleuth  in  a  Foreign  Land — A  Vigorous  Pur- 
suit in  a  Mountain  Region  Swarming  with  Banditti 
— Joshua  Humble's  Warning  and  Prophesy  Remem- 
bered and  Heeded — A  Snare  which  Accomplished  its 
Object  with  Startling  Rapidity — A  Thrilling  Charge 
and  the  End  of  a  Life  of  Cruelty  and  Crime 314 

CONCLUSION. 
Gleanings  from  the  Field  of  Years 320 


(12) 


JOSHUA  HUMBLE 

A  Tale  of  Old  St.  Louis 


CHAPTER  I. 
MR.  HUMBUS'S  EARLY  MORNIXG  EXPERIENCE. 

On  one  of  the  principal  business  streets  of  St. 
Louis,  many  years  ago,  a  handsome  office  building 
was  erected.  Its  walls  were  of  polished  blue  limestone 
from  a  quarry  in  the  western  subsurbs,  and  its  sills, 
lintels  and  steps  were  of  brown  granite.  The  roof, 
which  was  of  the  French  style  of  architecture,  was 
sheathed  with  slate  of  different  colors  and  curved 
gracefully  upward  to  a  level  surface,  in  the  center 
of  which  was  a  small  square  dome  ornamented  on 
its  upper  edges  by  iron  lattice  work  with  gilded  dart- 
shaped  points,  and  on  its  ,apex  by  a  golden  weather 
vane. 

The  building  was  three  stories  in  height,  the 
entire  ground  floor  being  occupied  by  its  owner, 
Joshua  Humble ,  General  Financial  Agent,  and 
Dealer  in  Stocks  and  Bonds,  while  the  upper  stories 

(13) 


14  Joshua  Humble. 

were  divided  into  offices  and  tenanted  by  professional 
men. 

The  office  of  Joshua  Humble  was  a  marvel 
of  elegance:  woodwork  and  furniture  of  polished 
cedar;  floors  of  marble  tiling;  bronze  chandeliers 
with  cut  glass  prisms  which  reflected  the  light  in  many 
brilliant  colors;  windows  of  plate  glass  protected  by 
gilded  bars  of  steel,  and  finally  a  large  vault  with 
massive  iron  door  and  time-lock  for  the  safe  keeping 
of  valuables. 

The  home  of  Joshua  Humble  was  on  Garrison 
Avenue  in  the  western  portion  of  the  town.  It  was 
a  grand  structure — vast  in  dimensions  for  a  residence 
at  that  time  —  a  marvel  indeed  of  elegance  and 
comfort. 

Although  the  relentless  wrecker  —  Time,  has 
wrought  many  changes,  both  the  office  building  and 
residence  of  Joshua  Humble  still  stand,  the  former, 
old  and  weather-stained,  its  beautiful  roof  of  slate 
having  been  replaced  by  a  flat  platform  of  rough 
wood  covered  with  coal-tar  and  gravel,  and  its  plate 
glass  windows  broken  and  patched.  The  former 
office  of  Mr.  Humble  is  now  occupied  by  a  dealer 
in  old  clothing,  and  the  upper  rooms  of  the  building 
are  tenanted  by  makers  of  advertising  signs.  The  resi- 
dence, having  been  recently  renovated  and  repaired, 
is  apparently  unchanged;  but  many  superstitious 
people  gravely  affirm  that  strange  gruesome  forms 
flit  to  and  fro  under  the  deep  shadows  of  the  trees 


Early  Morning  Experience.         15 

on  the  lawn,  when  rain  falls    upon    the  earth  and 

lightning  flashes  across  the  sky. 
*********** 

An  overgrown  town,  time-worn  and  weather- 
beaten,  had,  within  the  space  of  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, been  transformed  into  a  great  commercial 
metropolis  teeming  with  human  life  and  throbbing 
with  industrial  energy.  The  process  of  evolution 
from  town  to  city  had  wrought  many  wonderful 
changes :  the  distant  suburb  had  become  the  center 
of  population,  and  the  former  center  of  population 
had  become  the  business  center,  and  in  that  space  of 
time  little  children  had  become  men  and  women, 
bearing  lightly  and  bravely  the  cares  and  responsi- 
bilities of  their  parents,  and  bringing  into  action  the 
vigor  of  manhood  and  womanhood  for  the  solution 
of  the  problems  of  a  new  era.  But  these  were  not 
all  of  the  changes  that  had  been  wrought  in  the 
process  of  evolution.  In  numerous  instances  the 
employer  and  employe  had  changed  places,  the 
former  wage-earner  having  become  the  employer 
of  his  former  master.  And  there  had  also  been  many 
financial  wrecks  during  that  transformation.  Mil- 
lionaires had  been  brought  to  feel  the  pinchings  of 
poverty  and  even  the  pangs  of  hunger,  and  among  that 
class  of  unfortunates,  Joshua  Humble  was,  beyond 
question  the  most  conspicuous.  His  fall  was  from  a 
lofty  height  of  honor,  wealth  and  power,  to  the  low 
level  of  an  impecunious  wage-earner,  a  fall  from 


16  Joshua  Humble. 

which  he  could  never  hope  to  recover,  and  he  sank 
into  obscurity  as  a  great  ship  sinks  into  the  sound- 
less depths  of  the  sea,  and  was  soon  forgotten. 

Plain  Mr.  Humble  in  shabby  attire,  modest  and 
silent,  a  mere  living  human  reminiscence,  was  in  pub- 
lic estimation,  quite  different  in  all  respects  from 
Joshua  Humble  the  wealthy  financier  before  his  fall 
from  high  social  and  business  eminence,  leav- 
ing nothing  in  the  vacuum  but  his  wealth  in 
other  hands ;  and  so,  as  the  years  went  by,  he  sank 
lower  in  poverty,  and  deeper  in  social  obscurity  and 
no  friendly  hand  was  extended  to  lift  him  to  a  higher 
plane. 

When  Sol  Miserleigh,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Hum- 
ble in  business  —  by  virtue  of  an  assignment  in  sat- 
isfaction of  an  alleged  indebtedness  far  beyond  Mr. 
Humble's  ability  to  pay  —  assumed  the  proprietor- 
ship thus  transferred  to  him,  it  was  Miserleigh's 
good  fortune  to  be  enabled  by  the  terms  of  the  settle- 
ment, to  retain  Mr.  Humble  in  the  business  and  to 
thus  practically  own  him.  Mr.  Humble's  entire  fortune 
did  not  liquidate  his  alleged  indebtedness,  and  so  as 
Sol  Miserleigh,  who  was  his  sole  creditor,  proposed 
to  allow  Mr.  Humble  to  pay  the  balance  due  in 
monthly  installments,  a  settlement  upon  that  basis 
was  concluded,  and  Joshua  Humble  calmly  entered 
upon  his  duties  as  a  wage-earner  and  failed  not  to 
return  to  his  employer  the  stipulated  portion  of  his 
monthly  earnings.  And  so  as  the  years  glided  along 


Early  Morning  Experience.         17 

and  became  to  him  only  ghastly  phantoms  of  mem- 
ory, the  period  of  Joshua  Humble's  servitude  was 
correspondingly  shortened  and  the  joyous  future 
seemed  to  leap  backward  to  meet  him.  At  last  the 
day,  almost  the  hour,  of  his  deliverance  was  at  hand, 
but  his  spirit  had  become  so  broken  by  long  sub- 
servience to  the  will  of  a  stern  taxmaster,  and  his 
mind  so  deadened  by  poverty  and  humiliation  that 
he  did  not  seem  to  realize  the  approaching  fulfill- 
ment of  his  dream  of  liberty,  which  began  at  the 
moment  of  his  downfall  and  from  which  he  had  not 
yet  fully  awakened. 

It  was  early  morning  —  the  last  day  of  the  week. 
A  dense  fog  hung  over  St.  Louis,  obscuring  all  ob- 
jects at  a  distance  and  rendering  even  those  nearby 
dim  and  indistinct.  The  atmosphere  was  chilling 
and  oppressive,  the  trees  were  dripping  with  moist- 
ure and  the  pavements  and  street  crossings  were  as 
wet  as  though  a  heavy  rain  had  just  fallen. 

Joshua  Humble  emerged  from  the  doorway  of 
his  little  home  in  a  quarter  of  the  city  tenanted  by 
laboring  people,  glanced  up  at  the  dark  sky  through 
which  the  first  rays  of  early  dawn  gleamed  feebly, 
drew  his  thin  worn  coat  closely  about  his  stalwart 
form,  and  then  with  reluctant,  hesitating  footsteps, 
hurried  down  to  the  pavement  and  walked  rapidly 
toward  the  business  center  of  the  city.  No  restful 
slumber  had  come  to  him  during  the  night.  He  had 
lain  in  a  semi-conscious  condition  as  motionless  as 


18  Joshua  Humble. 

a  corpse,  his  mind  active  and  alert,  thinking  of  the 
past,  of  vanished  wealth  and  comfort,  of  his  once 
prosperous  business  and  beautiful  home,  of  the  long 
dreary  years  of  humiliation  and  toil  since  then,  of 
his  voluntary  self-sacrifice  for  the  sake  of  one  dearer 
to  him  than  life  —  all  this,  and  more ;  he  dreamed  of 
his  emancipation,  of  his  restoration  to  wealth  and 
affluence,  of  the  downfall  of  his  oppressor;  but  just 
then  a  soft  little  hand  passed  over  his  face,  and  a 
baby  voice  said  gently,  "  Why  Grandpa  dear,  your 
face  is  wet;  you  are  crying!  Dear  good  Grandpa 
don't  cry  —  Allie  loves  you,  don't  you  know?" 

"  Yes,  darling,"  said  Mr.  Humble,  taking  the  lit- 
tle one  in  his  arms.  "  Yes,  darling,  I  know  you  love 
Grandpa." 

The  child  had  been  awakened  by  the  sound  of 
his  sobbing,  as  she  had  been  awakened  many  times 
before,  and  creeping  from  her  little  couch  by  his 
bedside  had  gone  to  comfort  him. 

A  sudden  gleam  of  dawn  came  in  through  the 
window.  It  was  a  mere  flash  like  the  dim  reflection 
of  a  distanct  electric  light.  It  wavered  and  flickered 
through  the  swaying  branches  of  the  trees.  It 
glowed  and  increased  in  brightness  until  Mr.  Hum- 
ble became  conscious  of  the  fact  that  day  was  break- 
ing. He  arose,  went  to  the  window  and  looked  out 
across  the  housetops.  He  saw  the  daylight  faintly 
gleaming  through  the  dense  veil  of  fog  and  knew 


An  Early  Morning  Experience.        19 

that  he  could  not  wait  for  breakfast  and  fulfill  the 
requirements  of  his  taskmaster. 

As  he  hurried  along  the  street,  under  dripping 
awnings  and  trees  he  gradually  increased  his  pace 
to  his  utmost  speed  for  the  long  distance  he  would 
have  to  go,  when  suddenly  a  shrill  cracked  voice 
called  out  to  him  from  an  upper  window  of  a  dilapi- 
dated building: 

"Ahem!    I  say,  Mr.  Humble!" 

For  a  moment  he  was  startled  and  disconcerted 
by  the  sudden  summons  to  parley,  but  glancing 
swiftly  upward  he  beheld  a  fat  puffy  female  face  at 
the  window,  and  bowing  graciously,  responded  in  a 
pleasant  voice: 

"  Ah ;  good  morning  Mrs.  Sly ;  good  morning 
madam!  I  regret  to  say  that  I  am  very  late  this 
morning.  My  clock  stopped  during  the  night,  and 
the  fog  misled  me  as  to  the  time.  I  could  not  even 
wait  for  a  cup  of  coffee,  so  I  cannot  stop  now  to 
talk  as  usual."  He  made  a  movement  to  pass  on, 
when  Mrs.  Sly  from  her  perch  at  the  window  again 
called  out  to  him,  and,  quite  impatiently. 

"  But,  I  say  Mr.  Humble,  did  you  hear  the  news 
—  the  dreadful  news  ?" 

"  No,"  he  replied  stopping  short  and  gazing  up  at 
the  repulsive  face  in  the  window.  "No.  What  start- 
ling news  have  you  to  communicate  now?" 

"You  will  be  surprised  and  horrified  I  know," 
responded  the  gossip  with  a  grunt  of  satisfaction. 


20  Joshua  Humble. 

"Why,  if  you  will  believe  me,  I  was  knocked  dumb 
and  silly  for  half  an  hour  when  I  first  heard  of  it. 
"Tis  awful !  awful !  dumped  out  of  the  world  in  a 
jiffy!  Ah  he  was  such  a  sinner!  and  no  wife  or 
child  to  get  his  pile  of  dough." 

"  Hush !  hush  Mrs.  Sly,"  interposed  Mr.  Humble, 
gently,  "I  cannot  stand  here  to  listen  to  such  chatter. 
Who  on  earth  are  you  talking  about?" 

"  I  am  not  talking  about  anybody  on  earth,"  she 
answered  petulantly.  "I  am  speaking  of  one  who 
has  just  gone  from  earth  —  only  the  Lord  knows 
where !  Ah,  he  was  a  sinner  —  an  awful  sinner,  Mr. 
Humble!" 

"  Will  you  kindly  tell  me  to  whom  you  refer  ?" 
he  asked  quite  impatiently. 

"  Yes,"  responded  Mrs.  Sly  drawlingly,  "you  are 
always  in  such  a  pinch,  you  can  never  wait  for  me 
to  tell  a  yarn  as  it  should  be  told.  William  Barnes 
is  dead." 

"  Dead ! "  echoed  Mr.  Humble  tremblingly, 
"  Dead !  "  repeated  Mrs.  Sly  tragically,  leering  down- 
ward at  the  white  upturned  face  of  her  listener. 
"  Died  an  hour  ago,  got  out  of  his  bed  to  take  a  bath 
and  fell  dead  in  his  room.  Died  of  heart  disease. 
Doctor  just  gone  away  and  the  old  housekeeper  and 
servants  howling  around  the  house.  I  heard  the 
racket  and  skipped  over  there  and" — 

Joshua  Humble  heard  no  more,  for  he  was  far 
beyond  the  sound  of  her  shrill  quacking  voice, 


Jin  Early  Morning  Experience.        21 

ejaculating  as  he  hurried  along,  "  Dead !  Dead ! 
William  Barnes  dead." 

Finally  he  turned  into  a  narrow  business  street, 
hastened  along  half  a  square,  paused  in  front  of  a 
doorway  over  which  was  suspended  a  large  sign 
on  which  were  the  words  in  raised  bronze  letters : 
"  Sol  Miserleigh,  Dealer  in  Stocks  and  Bonds."  As 
he  paused,  Mr.  Humble  glanced  hastily  up  and  down 
the  street  and  an  expression  of  relief  came  upon  his 
face. 

"  Not  here  in  advance  of  me  as  I  feared  he  would 
be,"  he  said  in  a  low  tone,  "I  am  indeed  fortunate. 
Probably  he  overslept  as  I  did,  owing  to  the  late- 
ness of  daybreak,  on  account  of  the  fog."  He  paused 
a  moment  and  glanced  up  at  the  building  before 
which  he  stood.  "  Growing  old,"  he  continued 
sadly,  "Just  as  I  am,  ageing  and  badly  in  need  of  re- 
pair. The  roof  is  about  ready  to  collapse  from  de- 
cay and  the  cornice  lops  down  on  the  northwest 
corner  and  threatens  to  fall  upon  the  street.  Ah 
me!  how  beautiful  this  building  was  when  it  was 
mine.  I  can  hardly  realize  that  I  was  once  its  owner, 
it  was  so  long  —  so  very  long  ago,  it  seems  to  me 
as  a  dream!  He  stood  still  a  few  moments  looking 
down  upon  the  pavement  with  an  expression  of  in- 
effable sadness  upon  his  face.  Suddenly  the  sound 
of  approaching  footsteps  came  echoing  around  the 
corner  of  the  street,  and  with  a  quick  movement 
Mr.  Humble  drew  from  his  pocket  a  large  key  with 


22  Joshua  Humble, 

which  he  opened  the  door,  and  as  it  swung  back- 
ward upon  its  hinges  he  entered  the  office  at  the 
same  moment  that  Sol  Miserleigh  turned  the  corner 
of  the  street  half  a  square  distant,  and  with  raised 
hand  pointed  toward  him  menacingly  with  its  quiver- 
ing forefinger.  A  few  moments  later,  Miserleigh 
entered  the  room,  paused  in  front  of  Mr.  Humble, 
glared  angrily  into  his  face  silently  while  one  might 
count  ten,  and  then  in  an  insolent  questioning  tone 
he  said,  "Well?"  -  w 

"  Well,"  responded  Mr.  Humble  in  a  low  voice. 

"  I  say,  Well !"  snarled  Miserleigh,  threateningly. 

"  And  I  say,  Very  well !"  replied  Mr.  Humble, 
defiantly,  as  a  scarlet  flush  swept  over  his  face. 

"  Don't  you  understand  me  ?"  demanded  Miser- 
leigh quivering  with  rage. 

"  You  estimate  my  intelligence  by  a  very  low 
standard  if  you  presume  that  I  do  not  understand 
your  meaning  perfectly.  Even  the  meanest  cur  can 
feel  a  kick,  and  can  understand  the  motive  of  his 
inhuman  master  in  administering  the  punishment," 
replied  Mr.  Humble  in  a  firm  voice  as  he  leaned  upon 
the  broom  which  he  held  in  his  hands,  and  with 
which  he  had  begun  to  sweep  the  floor  when  Miser- 
leigh entered  the  office. 

"Well,"  continued  Miserleigh,  choking  with 
anger,  "I  want  to  know  why  you  are  late  again?" 

"  My  clock  stopped  in  the  night  and  of  course 


Early  Morning  Experience.        23 

the  alarm  did  not  act;  you  observe  the  fog  and  how 
dark  it  yet  is,  I — " 

"  Enough  of  that,"  interrupted  Miserleigh. 
"That  won't  do  for  an  excuse;  clean  up  the  office 
immediately  and  charge  yourself  with  a  quarter  of 
a  day  lost  time.  I've  been  fining  you  for  tardiness 
and  shiftlessness  for  years  and  I  should  presume 
that  you  might  have  learned  by  this  time  that  I  am 
not  to  be  trifled  with.  Now  hurry  and  clean  up  the 
office  while  I  go  for  my  breakfast.  I'll  be  gone  just 
fifteen  minutes  and  if  you  fail  to  have  everything  in 
its  proper  place  when  I  return,  I'll  fine  you  another 
quarter  of  a  day." 

Joshua  Humble  smiled  disdainfully  and  looked 
steadily  and  without  so  much  as  a  quivering  of  his 
eyelashes,  into  the  wavering  sullen  eyes  of  Sol  Miser- 
leigh. A  moment  they  stood  facing  each  other  in 
silence,  each  striving  mentally  for  the  mastery,  each 
endeavoring  to  overawe  the  other  with  silent  scorn. 
It  was  their  first  contest,  and  the  bold  and  defiant 
demeanor  of  Mr.  Humble  surprised  and  angered 
Sol  Miserleigh  beyond  expression.  The  former  had 
been  the  quiet,  spiritless,  obedient  servant  of  the 
latter  nearly  twenty-five  years  —  a  lion  subservient 
to  a  coyote.  The  master  keenly  realized  the  over- 
whelming superiority  of  his  servant  and  hated  him 
therefor  with  the  degree  of  intensity  of  which  only 
the  moral  degenerate  is  capable,  and  the  latter,  re- 
membering only  his  obligation  and  his  duty  as  the 


24  Joshua  Humble. 

protector  of  one  who  had  become  the  victim  of  this 
human  monster,  wavered  not,  complained  not,  but 
with  stoical  indifference  bore  the  humiliation  and 
the  cruelty  of  actual  slavery,  and  silently  scorned  his 
cruel  master.  And  so,  as  these  two  men  stood  facing 
each  other  defiantly,  there  was  an  actual  conflict  of 
opposing  mental  forces  and  Sol  Miserleigh,  being 
the  weaker,  was  vanquished. 

"  You  are  having  your  day  now,"  said  Mr.  Hum- 
ble, finally,  with  a  quiet  smile,  "  but  it  will  soon  be 
over."  Then  he  began  sweeping  the  floor,  and  with- 
out reply  Sol  Miserleigh  turned  away  and  passed 
quietly  out  upon  the  street. 

Ten  minutes  later  Mr.  Humble  had  completed  his 
task  of  cleaning  the  office,  had  brought  from  the 
hydrant  a  bucket  of  fresh  water,  climbed  upon  his 
stool  at  the  tall  desk,  dipped  his  pen  in  the  ink  and 
poised  it  over  the  page  of  an  account  book,  when 
Sol  Miserleigh  entered  the  office,  walked  to  his  desk 
sat  down  before  it  and  began  picking  his  teeth  in 
sullen  silence. 


CHAPTER  II. 
A  HUMAN  CYCLONE. 

Mr.  Humble  hesitated  a  moment  with  his  pen 
poised  in  position  to  write,  but  finally  straightened 
himself  upright  on  his  stool,  carefully  placed  the 
pen  above  his  ear,  turned  his  face  toward  Sol  Miser- 
leigh  and  said: 

"  Have  you  heard  the  dreadful  news  Mr.  Miser- 
leigh?" 

"News?  No.  Dreadful  news?  What  do  you 
mean?"  demanded  Miserleigh  in  a  quivering  voice, 
half  rising  from  his  seat  in  alarm. 

"  William  Barnes  is  dead." 

"What  — dead?  William  Barnes  dead?  It  is 
a  lie !  Who  told  you  so?  " 

He  had  risen  from  his  chair  and  advanced  half 
way  between  his  desk  and  the  place  where  Mr.  Hum- 
ble sat  perched  upon  his  stool.  His  face  was  white 
and  his  hands  quivered  convulsively. 

"When?  Where?  How  did  he  die?"  he  de- 
manded with  a  gasp,  almost  beseechingly. 

"  William  Barnes  died  of  heart  disease  at  his 
home  at  half  past  five  o'clock  this  morning,"  replied 
Mr.  Humble  calmly. 

(25) 


26  Josuah  Humble. 

"  William  Barnes  dead  ?  It  is  dreadful  news, 
Humble,"  responded  Miserleigh. 

"Yes,"  continued  Mr.  Humble  sadly,  "It  was  so 
sudden,  so  entirely  unexpected,  and  he  was  so  strong 
and  full  of  life  —  so  vigorous  and  so  joyous  always, 
and  in  the  very  fullness  of  his  prime." 

"  Bah !  "  interrupted  Miserleigh,  with  a  sneer. 
"  I  have  no  patience  with  such  sentimental  drivel. 
He  was  only  a  man  and  all  men  must  die  sometime. 
He  was  no  friend  of  mine  and  I  don't  care  the  value 
of  a  button  about  his  taking  off.  Sudden,  eh  ?  That's 
the  best  way  to  go.  Fudge!  I've  something  more 
agreeable  and  important  to  think  about  just  at  pres- 
ent than  a  dead  man  —  friend  or  enemy.  Friend? 
pah !  there's  no  such  thing  as  real  friendship  among 
men!  Every  man  is  a  natural  enemy  of  every  other 
man  on  earth,  and  all  know  it  and  act  accordingly. 
That  is  perfectly  natural,  and  what  is  natural  is  right. 
Life  is  a  battle  from  birth  to  death  and  only  the 
fittest  survive.  That  also  is  right,  because  it  is  en- 
tirely natural  for  the  strong  to  vanquish  the  weak. 
In  all  but  name,  the  masses  are  slaves  to  the  classes, 
and  that  also  is  right,  because  the  masses  are  poor 
and  the  classes  are  rich,  and  wealth  is  power  and 
poverty  is  weakness  and  weakness  is  contemptible." 

"But  Death  levels  all,"  said  Mr.  Humble  thought- 
fully. 

Miserleigh  croaked  something  in  reply  which  Mr. 
Humble  did  not  hear  and  about  which  he  did  not 


A  Human  Cyclone.  27 

care  to  inquire,  and  so  he  turned  to  his  duties,  and 
Sol  Miserleigh  resumed  his  seat  at  his  desk,  un- 
locked an  inner  drawer,  took  from  it  a  scrap  of  paper 
and  examined  it  carefully.  Finally  he  returned  the 
paper  to  its  place,  closed  his  desk,  locked  it  and  said 
to  himself  in  a  low  tone,  but  which  Mr.  Humble 
heard  distinctly: 

"  Yes,  the  scheme  has  succeeded  beyond  a  shadow 
of  doubt.  I  was  quite  sure  that  it  would  —  the  fel- 
low is  so  pliant  !  It  is  the  usual  fatal  step  in  a  rapid 
life:  Fashionable  society  and  flummery  —  moral 
laxity  —  extravagance  —  forgery!  and  the  last  step 
cannot  be  retraced.  I  must  act  at  once;  an  hour 
hence  may  be  too  late." 

Rising  hastily  from  his  chair,  Sol  Miserleigh  put 
on  his  hat,  great-coat  and  gloves,  and  as  he  opened 
the  front  door  said  gruffly  to  Mr.  Humble :  "  When 
Sam  Slick  comes  in,  tell  him  that  I  have  gone  to  see 
George  Langdon  at  his  lodgings,  and  that  he  must 
come  there  immediately."  Then  he  went  out  on  the 
pavement,  closed  the  office  door  and  hurried  away. 

Joshua  Humble  placed  his  pen  gently  in  the  pen 
rack  upon  his  desk,  clambered  down  from  his  high 
stool,  took  a  bunch  of  keys  from  his  pocket,  went 
over  to  Miserleigh's  desk,  opened  it,  unlocked  and 
opened  the  secret  drawer,  drew  forth  the  scrap  of 
paper  which  so  deeply  interested  Sol  Miserleigh, 
went  leisurely  to  his  own  desk,  made  a  copy  of  the 
mysterious  document,  and  put  it  in  his  pocket;  re- 


28  Joshua  Humble. 

turned  the  original  paper  to  its  hiding  place,  closed 
and  locked  the  desk,  climbed  up  on  his  perch  and 
quietly  resumed  his  duties. 

He  had  not  written  more  than  a  dozen  words 
when  the  office  door  suddenly  opened  and  Sam 
Slick  entered  with  a  bounding  whirling  motion, 
caused  doubtless,  by  vibr^t-ions  in  his  head  produced 
by  the  effervescence  of  champagne,  which  he  had 
imbibed  at  a  club  banquet  during  the  previous  night. 
In  his  gyrations  he  knocked  over  a  chair,  overturned 
a  spittoon  and  finally  collided  violently  with  Mr. 
Humble's  stool,  almost  knocking  that  quiet  gentle- 
man from  his  perch. 

"Oh!  I  beg  pardon!"  ejaculated  Mr.  Slick  in  a 
mock  tone  of  apology  as  he  sank  down  upon  a  chair. 
"  I'm  a  human  cyclone  this  morning  and  it  is  not 
easy  for  me  to  stop  when  I  begin  to  whirl.  Where's 
old  Miserleigh  ?  " 

Mr.  Humble  put  down  his  pen,  turned  slowly 
around  upon  his  stool,  raised  his  spectacles  from  be- 
fore his  eyes  and  left  them  resting  upon  his  fore- 
head. His  face  was  flushed,  his  features  were  rigid 
and  there  was  a  peculiar  expression  in  his  eyes  which 
surprised  and  awed  Mr.  Slick  and  greatly  modified 
his  hilarity.  If  he  had  been  watching  beside  a  corpse 
which  had  suddenly  come  to  life,  risen  and  walked 
before  him,  he  could  not  have  been  more  shocked; 
and,  as  he  gazed  in  blank  amazement  and  bewilder- 
ment, up  into  that  stern  and  almost  supernatural  face, 


A  Human  Cyclone.  29 

it  swiftly  dawned  upon  his  mind  that  he  was  indeed 
in  the  presence  of  a  spirit  that  had  just  risen  from 
a  long  sleep  like  unto  death. 

"  If  you  refer  to  my  employer,"  replied  Mr.  Hum- 
ble in  a  low  voice,  but  every  word  of  which  sounded 
to  his  listener  like  the  sharp  clang  of  a  high-toned 
bell,  "  I  answer  that  he  left  this  office  a  few  minutes 
ago,  and  instructed  me  to  inform  you  that  he  has 
gone  to  call  on  George  Langdon  at  his  lodgings,  and 
will  be  glad  if  you  will  join  him  there  as  soon  as 
possible." 

Having  delivered  the  message  in  low  measured 
tones,  slowly  and  with  peculiar  emphasis,  Mr.  Hum- 
ble turned  around  to  his  desk  and  silently  resumed 
his  labors.  For  several  minutes  Mr.  Slick  sat  still, 
with  his  eyes  half  closed  dreamily.  Finally  he  took 
off  his  hat,  placed  it  on  the  floor  beside  his  chair, 
rubbed  his  head  vigorously  with  both  hands,  gazed 
out  of  the  window  upon  the  street  and  muttered  re- 
flectively : 

"Just  so!  Just  what  I  anticipated;  gone  to  call 
on  George  Langdon ;  another  turn  of  the  screw  and 
more  financial  blood-letting !  Well,  I  presume  I  must 
obey,  but  I  don't  like  the  scheme,  for  the  sapling  is 
so  young  and  green,  and  bleeds  so  easily  and  freely, 
that,  hardened  sinner  as  I  am,  I  really  feel  ashamed 
to  assist  in  skinning  him !  " 

He  sat  mute  and  still  for  a  few  moments,  drumming 
nervously  on  the  arms  of  his  chair  with  his  fingers 


30  Joshua  Humble. 

and  continued  to  gaze  out  upon  the  street.  Finally, 
impelled  by  a  sudden  impulse  as  one  who  has 
screwed  up  his  courage  to  perform  a  difficult  and 
disagreeable  task,  Mr.  Slick  arose  from  his  chair, 
went  out  upon  the  street  and  walked  rapidly  away. 
At  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Olive  streets  he  turned 
south,  passing  the  Planter's  House  and  the  Court 
House,  and  finally  ascended  a  flight  of  stone  steps 
to  the  doorway  of  a  residence,  rang  the  door  bell  and 
was  ushered  into  a  reception  room  where  he  found 
Sol  Miserleigh  alone  walking  the  floor  impatiently. 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  PLUCKING  OF  A  GBEEK  GOSLING. 

"  I  am  not  too  late,  I  observe,"  said  Mr.  Slick  to 
Sol.  Miserleigh  as  the  latter  continued  to  walk  the 
floor  of  the  reception  room  of  George  Langdon's 
lodging  house. 

"No,"  replied  Miserleigh  as  he  paused  and  lis- 
tened. "Just  in  time  I  think,  for  I  hear  someone 
coming  down  the  stairs." 

A  moment  later  the  hall  door  opened  and  a  young 
man  entered  and  exclaimed,  with  a  slight  quiver  in 
his  voice : 

'.'Ah,  Mr.  Miserleigh,  and  Mr.  Slick!"  (shaking 
hands  with  each  in  turn)  "  good  morning,  gentle- 
men. You  called  to  see  me?" 

Sol.  Miserleigh  elevated  his  chin  a  trifle,  shrugged 
his  shoulders,  gazed  coldly  at  the  young  man  who 
greeted  him  and  replied  in  a  harsh  tone :  "Well, 
yes,  Mr.  Langdon,  we  wish  to  confer  with  you  about 
a  very  important  matter,  namely,  a  certain  promis- 
sory note  for  five  hundred  dollars,  executed  by  you 
three  days  ago,  and  on  which  appears  as  indorser 
the  name  of  William  Barnes.  There  are  grave 
doubts  concerning  the  genuineness  of  that  signa- 

(31) 


32  Joshua  Humble. 

ture;  in  fact  it  is  evidently  a  forgery,  clumsily  exe- 
cuted. 

"There,  enough  of  that,  Mr.  Miserleigh — quite 
enough  of  that  kind  of  talk !"  interrupted  Langdon 
hotly.  "I  understand  what  you  refer  to,  but  I  would 
much  prefer  to  have  you  use  milder  and  more  cor- 
rect terms.  The  signature  to  which  you  allude  is  not 
a  forgery  per  se  and  consequently  it  is  in  no  respect 
fraudulent.  To  simplify  the  matter  I  will  admit 
frankly,  William  Barnes  did  not  personally  place  his 
signature  upon  that  note  and  no  attempt  was  made 
to  imitate  his  peculiar  handwriting.  It  is  the  name 
of  my  dear  old  uncle,  written  by  myself  and  he  will 
pay  the  note  promptly  at  maturity  without  a  word 
of  protest.  He  may  privately  lecture  me  therefor, 
in  a  mild  fashion — more  caressing  than  reproach- 
ful— God  bless  him !  and  warn  me  not  to  practice  on 
any  body  else,  and  there  the  matter  will  end.  I  gave 
the  note  in  payment  of  a  debt  of  honor;  so  you  see 
your  mountain  of  accusation  has  shrunken  into  a 
a  molehill  of  very  small  proportions." 

"George  Langdon,"  responded  Miserleigh  in  a 
serious  tone,  "  of  course  you  are  nothing  to  me 
personally,  but  you  are  young  and  inexperienced 
and  it  is  certainly  very  regrettable  that  at  the  begin- 
ning of  life  you  are  to  be  overwhelmed  with  shame 
and  disgrace.  I  tell  you  truly  and  solemnly  that 
unless  you  act  at  once  in  strict  accordance  with  my 
suggestions,  you  will  be  in  prison  under  a  charge  of 


Plucking  of  a  Green  Gosling.          33 

forgery  in  less  than  one  hour  from  this  moment! 
No  attempt  will  be  made  to  collect  your  note  in  the 
manner  to  which  you  refer,  because  your  disgrace 
would  be  far  more  satisfactory  to  its  present  holder 
than  five  times  the  amount  of  money  which  you  say 
your  uncle  would  give  in  exchange  for  it.  Your  note 
will  never  be  presented  to  your  uncle  for  payment. 
He  will  be  compelled  to  appear  in  court  and  testify 
that  he  did  not  sign  it,  and  thus  the  crime  of  forgery 
will  be  fixed  upon  you  and  you  will  go  to  the  peni- 
tentiary. Your  uncle  will  be  powerless  to  shield  you 
from  the  consequences  of  your  act."  •• 

•  "I  did  not  anticipate  that  the  note  would  fall 
into  hostile  hamds,"  replied  Langdon  thoughtfully, 
"and  I  would  be  glad  to  know  the  name  of  the  per- 
son who  would  lose  five  hundred  dollars  that  I  might 
be  disgraced  and  imprisoned.  Will  you  be  kind 
enough  to  tell  me  Mr.  Mi'ierleigh  ?" 

"No,"  was  the  blunt  reply,  "I  will  not  enlighten 
you  on  that  point,  because  it  is  a  matter  entirely 
personal  with  me  and  not  at  all  important  to  you, 
except  as  a  personal  satisfaction,  because  you  would 
be  powerless  to  redress  any  wrong  of  which  you  may 
imagine  yourself  to  be  the  victim  in  that  connec- 
tion ;  but,  coming  back  to  the  only  important  point 
in  this  unfortunate  affair  in  which  you  have  become 
involved,  I  will  state  positively  for  your  information, 
if  you  do  not  already  comprehend  it,  that  your  act 
in  signing  your  uncle's  name  as  his  signature  does 

[3J 


34  Joshua  Humble. 

not  wholly  concern  him,  but  constitutes  a  crime 
against  the  state,  the  penalty  for  which  is  imprison- 
ment in  the  penitentiary. 

"You  take  a  very  serious  view  of  what  seems 
to  me  only  a  trifling  affair,"  replied  Langdon,  falter- 
ingly,  "but  before  we  proceed  further  I  will  ask  you 
to  tell  me  frankly  wherein  your  personal  interests  are 
involved.  Why  have  you  sought  and  obtained  this 
information?  and  if  you  propose  to  aid  me,  as  I 
infer  you  do,  what  are  your  plans?" 
»  "Langdon,"  replied  Miserleigh,  slowly,  "I  will 
answer  your  questions  plainly  and  briefly  as  you  re- 
quest. My  interest  in  this  affair  is  merely  for  my 
personal  gain.  I  am  a  dealer  in  notes,  mortgages, 
stocks  and  bonds,  and  I  never  for  one  moment  allow 
sentiment  to  interfere  with  my  business  interests. 
In  me  you  have  not  a  generous  disinterested  cham- 
pion, for  I  would  have  allowed  you  to  go  to  the 
penitentiary  without  experiencing  one  pang  of  regret 
unless  it  was  to  my  personal  interest  to  prevent  that 
result.  I  have  sought  and  obtained  the  information 
that  I  have  communicated  to  you  with  the  sole  pur- 
pose of  making  you  pay  me  for  my  trouble  in  order 
that  you  may  escape  the  consequences  of  your  folly. 
Listen  attentively,  and  think  fast,  for  time  is  precious 
to  you,  and  I  have  no  patience  to  repeat.  You  must 
leave  this  city  immediately.  My  friend  Slick  will 
accompany  you  as  your  guard  and  assistant  and  will 
put  you  in  a  safe  place  where  you  will  not  be  mo- 


Plucking  of  a  Green  Gosling.  35 

lested.  In  the  meantime  I  will  purchase  the  note 
for  you  and  you  will  thus  be  able  to  recover  and 
destroy  the  evidence  of  your  folly." 

Young  Langdon  had  listened  breathlessly  to 
Miserleigh's  rude  blunt  statement  of  his  objects  in 
the  matter,  and  in  the  beginning,  his  soul  burned 
with  indignation,  but  as  Miserleigh  presented  his 
plan  of  escape  in  terms  so  simple  and  lucid,  his  re- 
sentment gave  place  to  intense  interest  and  he  was 
ready  to  comply  with  the  terms  offered  to  him,  before 
the  philanthropist  (?)  had  spoken  the  last  words.  - 
»  "Mr.  Miserleigh,"  he  said,  hoarsely,  "I  have 
never  yet  seen  the  man  I  was  afraid  of,  and  I  want  to 
tell  you  right  now  that  nothing  you  can  say  or  do 
can  intimidate  me  in  the  least.  I  think  you  know 
something  of  our  family — enough,  at  least,  to  be 
convinced  there  is  not  a  cowardly  instinct  in  any  of 
our  clan.  I  have  weighed  what  you  have  said  con- 
cerning your  motives  in  this  affair  and  I  must  give 
you  the  distinction  of  being  the  most  cold-blooded 
and  mercenary  individual  that  I  have  ever  known ! 
But  even  the  Devil,  when  it  is  clearly  to  his  own  per- 
sonal interest,  may  do  a  good  turn  for  an  unfortunate 
those  of  Satan  under  similar  circumstances.  I  would 
not  trust  you  a  hair's  breath  under  any  con- 
ditions where  your  personal  interests  might  diverge 
from  mine,  but  I  understand  perfectly  that  you  are 
anxious  to  assist  me  out  of  this  difficulty  for  pay, 
and  as  I  am  entirely  willing  to  pay  for  your  help  to 


36  Joshua  Humble. 

the  utmost  limit  of  my  means,  I  accept  your  offer 
and  will  be  guided  by  your  counsel." 

"Very  well,"  answered  Miserleigh  in  a  tone  ex- 
pressive of  relief  and  satisfaction,  as  he  flashed  a 
significant  glance  toward  Mr.  Slick,  receiving  in  re- 
turn a  glance  of  intense  disdain  which  he  did  not 
correctly  interpret.  "Very  well,"  he  repeated  hastily, 
"then  we  have  not  a  moment  to  spare ;  even  now  it 
may  be  too  late."  Glancing  at  his  watch  he  added : 
"The  train  is  due  to  depart  in  forty-five  minutes. 
The  important  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  get  on  that 
train  and  out  of  this  city.  Mr.  Slick  will  after- 
wards decide  as  to  your  final  destination.  Your  note 
is  for  five  hundred  dollars.  I  will  probably  have  to 
pay  a  hundred  dollars  premium  to  get  it.  Further- 
more, I  must  have  pay  for  my  trouble,  say  five 
hundred  dollars;  then  Mr.  Slick  must  have  pay  for 
his  trouble,  say  five  hundred  dollars ;  altogether  six- 
teen hundred  dollars  will  place  the  note  in  your 
hands;  but  just  how  soon  it  can  be  accomplished 
will  depend  upon  circumstances.  I  will  take  your 
I.  O.  U.  for  sixteen  hundred  dollars,  payable 
ninety  days  from  to-day  and  thus  you  will  find  a  safe 
way  out  of  your  troubles." 

"But  I  cannot  pay  that  amount  within  that  time," 
replied  Langdan  earnestly. 

"Pay  what  you  can  at  that  time  and  I  will  give 
you  all  the  time  you  need  on  the  balance,"  said 
Miserleigh,  as  he  took  from  his  pocket  a  fountain  pen 


Plucking  of  a  Green  Gosling.          37 

and  a  book  of  blank  promissory  notes,  which  he 
handed  to  Langdon,  who  immediately  filled  out  and 
signed  a  note  for  the  stipulated  amount.  "Now  make 
a  note  for  one  thousand  dollars  and  I  will  send  you 
five  hundred  in  cash  by  Humble  before  you  leave. 
You  will  need  money  for  expenses,"  said  Miserleigh 
in  a  patronizing  tone.  ' 

"Yes,"  replied  Langdon,  as  ne  filled  out  another 
blank  with  unsteady  hands,  "but  for  how  long?" 

"Six  months." 

"Very  well,"  and  a  moment  later  Langdon  handed 
the  note  to  Miserleigh,  saying  as  he  did  so :  "It  must 
be  done,  but  that  is  an  enormous  rate  of  interest — 
simply  cold-blooded,  vulgar  robbery !" 
"  "I  presume  it  looks  that  way  to  you,"  replied 
Miserleigh  as  he  received  the  notes  and  placed  them 
in  his  pocket,  "but  it  is  only  a  plain  business  trans- 
action. Remember  boy,  that  those  who  dance  must 
pay  the  fiddler.  You  are  buying  a  little  experience 
which  in  future  will  be  worth  a  great  deal  more  to 
you  than  the  price  you  are  paying,  and  if  I  choose  to 
turn  your  folly  to  my  pecuniary  advantage  that  is 
my  affair,  not  yours."  Then  he  tore  a  leaf  from 
the  book  of  blank  notes  and  wrote  "on  the  unprinted 
side  the  following: 

"Slick:  This  is  a  profitable  customer  and  we 
must  retain  his  patronage  regardless  of  cost.  Wil- 
liam Barnes  died  of  heart  disease  early  this  morning 
and  this  boy  is  his  sole  heir.  He  must  be  kept  as 


38  Joshua  Humble. 

long  as  possible  in  utter  ignorance  of  his  uncle's 
death.  You  must  help  him  spend  money.  I  will 
furnish  what  he  needs  and  take  his  notes  for  double 
the  amount,  and  thus  we  will  eventually  absorb  his 
entire  inheritance.  Last  night  I  bought  the  note 
which  is  giving  him  so  much  trouble  and  there- 
fore there  can  be  no  complications.  You  have  only 
to  do  your  part  with  your  usual  skill  and  I  will  attend 
to  the  rest.  Hurry !" 

Then  Miserleigh  handed  the  message  to  Mr, 
Slick  saying  merely  as  he  buttoned  his  overcoat 
and  prepared  to  go : 

"Those  are  your  instructions,  and  if  you  will  fol- 
low them  faithfully,  as  you  doubtless  will,  our  way 
out  of  this  difficulty  will  be  safe  and  easy.  If  you 
need  more  money  draw  on  me  at  sight  and  take 
Langdon's  note  for  double  the  amount  of  your  draft. 
That  is  about  right  as  I  may  have  to  wait  several 
years  for  my  money  and  may  possibly  lose  it  entirely ; 
therefore  I  must  be  paid,  at  least  in  prospect,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  risk.  And  now,  Mr.  Slick,  good  bye ; 
and  Mr.  Langdon  also.  When  we  again  meet  I 
trust  it  will  be  under  more  agreeable  circum- 
stance than  those  surrounding  this  parting."  As 
he  spoke,  Sol.  Miserleigh  grasped  with  his  cold 
clammy  fingers  the  warm  hands  of  Slick  and  Lang- 
don, and  as  he  left  them  he  added : 

"I  will  send  Humble  with  the  money  and  a  car- 
riage within  fifteen  minutes.  Good  bye  I" 


Plucking  of  a  Green  Gosling.  39 

As  Miserleigh  closed  the  door  and  hurried  down 
the  steps  to  the  pavement,  Langdon  hastened  up 
stairs  to  arrange  his  baggage  while  Mr.  Slick  sat 
down  by  the  front  window,  lighted  a  cigar  and  for 
the  first  time  read  what  Miserleigh  had  written  on 
the  back  of  the  blank  note. 

^It's  a  shame !"  he  muttered  in  disgust  as  he 
folded  up  the  paper  and  put  it  carefully  away  in  his 
pocket.  "  'Tis  a  burning  shame  to  pluck  a  young 
gosling  in  that  merciless  manner!  Why,  the  boy  is 
only  just  out  of  his  teens — barely  of  age — and 
doubtless,  that  gambling  incident  and  mild  form  of 
forgery  is  his  first  misstep,  which  I  see  plainly  was 
the  result  of  a  vile  conspiracy!  I'll  wager  a  thou- 
sand to  one  that  old  Miserleigh  was  the  guiding 
spirit — the  very  head-devil  who,  through  the  in- 
strumentality of  another  person,  put  into  the  gos- 
ling's head  the  idea  of  signing  his  uncle's  name  to 
the  note  as  indorser.  It  is  simply  an  outrageous 
scheme  for  plunder,  and,  while  I'm  no  saint,  but 
on  the  contrary,  a  confirmed  sinner  and  a  contempt- 
ible confidence  man,  I'm  not  a  vulgar  robber,  nor  a 
corrupter  of  the  innocent,  nor  a  betrayer  of  the 
guileless ;  why  the  boy  is  as  pliant  and  unsuspecting 
as  a  pure  woman  fresh  from  a  convent,  and  I  don't 
want  to  be  instrumental  in  casting  the  damning 
blight  of  sin  upon  his  pure  young  sou),  and  I — well, 
I'll  consider  the  matter  more  fully  hereafter.  A  con- 
fidence man  should  have  no  scruples — no  conscience, 


40  Joshua  Humble. 

and  his  motto  should  be:  'The  end  justifies  the 
means,'  and  he  should  live  up  to  it." 

The  half  audible  reflections  of  Samuel  Slick  were 
cut  short  by  the  entrance  of  George  Langdon  with 
overcoat  and  hat  on  and  a  valise  in  his  hand,  and  a 
few  moments  later  the  door  bell  rang  and  Joshua 
Humble  was  ushered  into  the  room  by  a  servant. 
There  was  a  troubled  expression  on  his  face  as  Mr. 
Humble  handed  a  roll  of  bank  bills  to  Mr.  Langdon, 
and  said:  "The  carriage  is  waiting  and  you  have 
barely  time  to  reach  the  depot  before  the  departure 
of  the  train." 

.  As  Langdon  took  the  money  from  Mr.  Humble's 
hands  he  observed  that  they  trembled,  and  glancing 
up  into  Mr.  Humble's  face  he  was  shocked  by  its 
deathlike  pallor,  and  was  upon  the  point  of  asking  the 
cause,  but  as  time  was  pressing  he  repressed  his 
sympathetic  inquiry  and  hastened  out  of  the  house 
and  down  the  steps  to  the  pavement.  Mr.  Slick  was 
the  first  to  reach  the  carriage,  and  as  he  grasped 
the  handle  of  the  door  to  open  it,  Mr.  Humble  step- 
ped up  quickly  behind  Langdon  and  whispered  in 
his  ear: 

?  "Barnes  is  dead!  Miserleigh  has  your  note — be- 
ware !" 

"Langdon  with  one  foot  on  the  carriage  step 
glanced  swiftly  around  over  his  shoulder  into  the 
pallid  face  of  Joshua  Humble  and  Hesitated  a  mo- 
ment, having  failed  to  hear  correctly  and  being  un- 


Plucking  of  a  Green  Gosling.  41 

able  to  comprehend  the  brief  warning,  but  quickly 
recovering  his  self-possession  he  merely  nodded  in 
reply  and  stepping  hurriedly  into  the  carriage,  was 
whirled  away  as  he  waved  adieu  to  Joshua  Humble 
standing  on  the  curb  of  the  pavement  in  an  attitude 
expressive  of  extreme  dejection. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
A  SOOTHING  BALM  FOB  A  WOUNDED  SPIKIT. 

"Whisht,  Mick  an'  Denny.  Whisht  I  say!  Tis 
a  sin  an'  a  shame  t'  be  singin'  an'  blatherin'  o'er  yr' 
mugs  o'  beer  w'en  that  good  mon  lies  dead  o'er 
there.  Put  up  yr'  keards  noo  an  dhrink  up  yr'  beer 
in  silence  oot  o'  respect  t'  th'  mimory  o'  Will'm 
Barnes — rist  his  soul !"  •  • 

So  said  Mrs.  Katie  O'Keefe  to  her  two  sons  who 
had  just  returned  from  the  corner  grocery  with  a 
pitcher  of  beer,  and  in  their  own  cosy  little  room  in 
their  home  were  enjoying  a  game  of  cards  accom- 
panied by  good  old  Irish  songs. 

They  had  returned  to  their  home  from  the  labors 
of  the  day  in  a  neighboring  factory ;  it  was  Saturday 
night  and  they  were  happy  in  anticipation  of  the 
coming  day  of  rest.  Their  good  old  widowed  mother 
had  also  finished  her  day's  labor  and  had  retired 
to  her  own  room  which  adjoined  that  of  her  son's 
and  sat  there  thinking  of  the  good  man  whose  life 
had  so  suddenly  terminated ;  and  the  merry  laughter, 
jests  and  songs  of  her  boys  grated  harshly  upon 
her  nerves. 

"Sure,   mither,"   replied   Mick,   the   elder,   in   a 

(42) 


Balm  for  a  Wounded  Spirit.  43 

respectful,  kind  tone,  "we  forgot  that."  Then  they 
silently  finished  their  mugs  of  beer,  went  into  their 
mother's  room  and  quietly  sat  down  near  her. 

"Yis  darlints,"  continued  the  mother  in  a  low 
sad  voice,  "I  ha'  bin  wapin'  in  me  'art  all  day  long 
since  I  first  heard  o'  our  good  friend's  taken  off. 
Ah!  many  a  poor  soul'll  miss  him  this  winter  w'en 
th'  snow  is  deep  an  th'  wind  is  cold ;  an'  w'en  Christ- 
mas time  comes,  many  a  poor  urchin  '11  play  wi' 
rag  dolls  and  ol'  folks'll  shiver  o'er  smokin'  sulphur 
lumps  who  in  times  gone  by  were  made  comfortable 
an'  happy  by  his  kind  an'  blessed  gifts  o'  coal  an* 
clothes  an'  food  an'  toys." 

"Aye,  mither  dear,"  said  Mick,  sorrowfully,  an' 
we'll  miss  him  too,  for  he  niver  forgot  us  a  Christ- 
mas morning.  An'  last  winter,  w'en  th'  factory  shut 
down  during  the  coldest  days  o'  the  year,  he  sent  us 
a  load  o'  coal  w'en  he  saw  me  siftin'  th'  snow  for 
a  few  stray  lumps  in  the  back  yard." 

Suddenly,  and  with  startling  effect  a  shrill  quack- 
ing voice  in  an  adjoining  room  broke  rudely  in  upon 
the  sad  conversation  of  Mrs.  O'Keefe  and  her  sons 
with  these  words : 

"Well,  Jerusha,  what's  done  can't  be  undone. 
He  lies  over  there  in  his  great  house  cold  and  dead, 
an'  no  wife  nor  child  to  mourn  for  him,  an'  nobody 
else'll  mourn  for  him,  I  reckon,  for  he  was  an  orful 
ol'  sinner  they  say!" 
"I  think  you're  dead  wrong  there,"  responded 


44  Joshua  Humble. 

another  quacking  voice;  "dead  wrong  Mrs.  Sly, 
but  howsomever,  it's  not  my  place  to  take  his  part, 
for  he  was  no  kin  't  me.  Jerusha  Snuffer  has  no 
sich  highfalutin  kin,  but  Mr.  Branes  was  always 
kind  to  me,  and  I  am  sorry  that  he  is  dead." 

"They  say,"  piped  another  voice  that  he  was  a 
good  deal  richer  than  people  thought  him  to  be. 
The  lawyers  were  over  there  this  afternoon  huntin' 
up  his  papers  before  he  has  got  cold,  and  they  found, 
Oh,  ever  so  much  money  and  checks  an'  bonds  in  his 
big  iron  safe  in  his  bed  room !  Leastwise  so  ol' 
Betty  Sommers,  his  housekeeper,  told  me  this  a'ter 
noon  when  I  went  over  there  to  see  w'at  was  go'in 
on.  Law  sakes !  how  the  ol'  woman  did  sniffle  an' 
whine  while  she  talked  and  groaned  by  turns !  It 
just  made  my  stomach  rise  to  listen  to  her.  An'  she 
says — says  she:  'Th'  lawyers  have  had  the  police 
a  lookin'  all  day  a'ter  th'  young  feller,  his  nephew, 
an'  they  can't  find  him  nowhere !  Law  sakes  !  what 
a  big  funeral  it  will  be,  and  with  no  blood  relations 
as  mourners  if  that  young  feller,  Langdon,  don't 
turn  up  in  time !  A  big  funeral,  an'  no  mourners ! 
How  queer!  ah,  how — " 

Mrs.  O'Keefe  had  been  listening  to  the  slan- 
derous colloquy  in  the  adjoining  room  which  was 
the  home  of  Mrs.  Sly,  and  where  the  spinster,  Jerusha 
Snuffer,  and  the  widow,  Becky  Falser,  were  visit- 
ors. They  had  called  on  Mrs.  Sly  singly  and  without 
any  previous  arrangement  to  do  so,  but  somehow 


Balm  for  a  Wounded  Spirit.  45 

each  o£  them  intuitively  knew  that  the  other  would 
go,  if  alive  and  able  to  walk.  Each  knew  that  the 
other  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  go  and  with 
the  other  two  congenial  companions  discuss  the 
horrifying  details  and  circumstances  surrounding 
the  death  of  William  Barnes,  and  with  minds  whet 
to  the  keenest  possible  edge  of  anticipation  they  had 
gone  there,  each  loaded  with  choice  bits  of  neighbor- 
hood gossip  concerning  the  life  and  character  of  the 
deceased. 

Mrs.  O'Keefe  was  indignant  beyond  expression 
a«  she  listened  to  the  vile  mouthings  of  the  gossips 
and  when  Becky  Falser  predicted  that  there  would 
be  no  mourners  at  the  funeral,  her  anger  swiftly 
swept  aside  the  restraints  of  her  better  judgment, 
and  with  her  clenched  hand  she  knocked  loudly  on 
the  thin  wooden  partition  between  the  apartments 
and  interrupted  the  conversation  of  the  women  with 
these  words,  uttered  in  a  voice  husky  with  suppressed 
rage: 

"Sure  there  will  be  mourners !  hundreds  o'  wapin 
ones  at  the  funeral  o'  that  good  man  that  was,  who 
lies  o'er  yonder!  God  be  praised  that  he  lived  so 
long  t'  bless  th'  world  wi'  his  gintle  kindness  t'  the 
poor,  an'  t'is  but  th'  likes  o'  y'ees  that  would  raise 
th'  voice  t'spake  th'  way  ye  does." 

To  Mrs.  O'Keefe's  emphatic  words  of  protest 
against  their  gross  slander  of  the  dead  the  gossip- 
ing occupants  of  the  Sly  apartments  made  no  reply, 


46  Joshua  Humble. 

but  continued  in  low  tones  to  quack  and  jabber  long 
after  the  O'Keefe  family  had  retired  for  the  night 
and  in  peaceful  slumber  found  relief  from  the  cares 

and  vexations  of  life.  

At  that  same  hour,  Joshua  Humble  in  the  pro- 
found stillness  of  his  home,  walked  the  floor  of  his 
sleeping  room  in  the  dim  glow  of  a  street  lamp  which 
came  in  through  the  window.  His  steps  were  slow 
and  measured,  his  hands  were  clasped  behind  his 
back  and  with  bowed  head  he  paced  to  and  fro  while 
tears  coursed  down  his  face.  'V 

•»  "Am  I  a  man,  with  the  will  power  and  mental 
vigor  of  the  prime  of  life,  or  only  a  human  derelict 
buffeted  by  the  waves  of  adversity  and  ready  to 
sink?"  No,  I  am  not  a  wreck  and  will  never  be! 
Here  I  am  weeping  like  a  grieved  child  from  sheer 
vexation  because  I  have  a  part  to  act  and  the  scenes 
do  not  shift  fast  enough!  The  cruel  wrongs  which  I 
have  witnessed  for  many  years,  and  my  own  de- 
gradation and  mental  anguish  come  trooping  through 
my  brain  tonight,  veritable  phantoms  whirling  be- 
fore the  mirror  of  memory ;  wraiths  of  wrecked  lives 
bearing  records  of  ruined  fortunes  written  in  human 
blood.  But  vengeance  to  the  author  of  those  wrongs 
of  which  I  have  been  a  helpless  witness  is  coming 
swift  and  sure  by  the  death  of  William  Barnes.  The 
hosts  of  the  Infernal  have  been  fighting  for  Sol. 
Miserleigh  since  he  robbed  and  degraded  me,  and 
vengeance  has  been  long  delayed — so  long  that  his 


Balm  for  a  Wounded  Spirit.  47 

very  soul  has  become  intoxicated  with  success  and 
to  him  crime  has  become  so  familiar  that  his  fox- 
like  caution  has  given  place  to  silly  recklessness ; 
and  so,  without  even  a  faint  realization  of  the  fact, 
he  has  been  weaving  a  web  of  crime  about  himself 
from  which  he  cannot  escape !  He  has  outraged 
humanity,  and  Justice  will  be  avenged;  for  Justice 
is  God,  and  God  is  Law!" 

"But  what  of  that  poor  boy  drifting  helplessly 
away  into  the  awful  whirlpool  of  sin?  and  I,  who 
alone  of  all  his  friends  know  his  whereabouts  and 
condition — I,  perhaps  the  chosen  instrument  of  God 
to  rescue  him  from  his  awful  peril,  and  I  stand  here 
and  weep  and  sigh  and  wring  my  hands  in  impotent 
grief,  when  I  should  be  strong,  resolute  and  brave 
and  go  swift  to  his  relief!  But  no,  not  now — not 
tonight.  First  let  Miserleigh  write  and  sign  his  own 
death  warrant,  as  he  will  do  tomorrow,  on  that  holy 
day  of  rest,  while  the  body  of  William  Barnes  is 
being  borne  away  to  its  grave ;  yes,  there  alone  in  his 
office,  locked  and  darkened,  Sol  Miserleigh  will  with 
his  own  hand  decree  and  seal  his  own  doom .  Then, 
when  that  is  done,  Joshua  Humble  will  do  his  duty, 
quickly  and  without  fear !" 

"Grandpa,"  said  a  little  child  in  an  adjoining 
room,  in  a  voice  expressive  of  intense  sympathy  and 
affection;  "dear  grandpa!  why  do  you  walk  the 
floor  and  weep  and  talk  so  sadly  ?  I  have  been  lying 
here  a  long,  long  time  listening  to  your  crying  talk, 


48  Joshua  Humble. 

and  though  I  could  not  understand  all  you  said,  I 
have  been  crying  too,  for  I  knew  you  were  in  gretat 
trouble  and  I  love  you  so  much  dear  grandpa,  that  I 
am  sorry  too.  May  I  come  and  put  my  arms  around 
your  neck  and  kiss  and  pet  y,ou  and  make  you  laugh 
and  forget  all  about  the  bad — bad  maa  who  makes 
you  cry?" 

Joshua  Humble  paused  and  listened  a  moment  in 
silence  to  the  famt  pleading  words  of  little  Alice, 
and  then  without  reply  which  he  could  not  make, 
because  of  a  choking  sensation  in  his  throat,  he 
walked  quickly  into  the  room  where  the  child  was, 
and  took  the  little  one  in  his  arms  from  her  bed. 
Then  as  the  hot  tears  ran  down  his  face  he  began 
walking  the  floor  to  and  fro  and  sang  to  her  in  a 
low  tremulous  voice  an  old-time  baby  lullaby.  An 
hour  or  more  he  walked  and  sang,  while  the  child, 
with  her  tiny  arms  clasped  lovingly  around  his  neck, 
and  her  beautiful  head  with  its  wilderness  of  golden 
hair  resting  upon  his  shoulder  gazed  wistfully  into 
his  face.  Finally  her  eyes  slowly  closed  and  her 
loving  solicitude  was  forgotten  in  sleep.  Then  he 
placed  her  gently  on  his  own  bed,  removed  his  coat 
and  shoes  and  laid  softly  down  beside  her,  and  in 
dreamless  restful  slumber,  the  remembrance  of  his 
degradation  and  woe  faded  from  his  mind. 


CHAPTER  V. 
A  VERITABLE  DANCE  OF  DEMONS. 

N 

The  residence  of  Sol.  Miserleigh  was  a  queer  old 
structure,  built  of  rough  lime-stone,  and  with  the 
garden  and  lawn  occupied  an  entire  block  in  the 
western  suburbs.  The  surface  of  the  lot  was  at  its 
original  elevation,  that  is  to  say,  about  eight  feet 
above  the  streets,  the  edges  of  its  four  sides  having 
been  terraced  down  to  a  high  wall  of  rough  stone 
which  formed  the  inclosure. 

Originally  the  building  and  its  surroundings  had 
been  very  attractive,  but  at  the  time  here  referred  to, 
an  air  of  general  untidiness  and  decay  pervaded  the 
entire  premises,  and  to  the  casual  observer  it  bore 
the  appearance  of  having  been  long  unoccupied. 
The  lawn,  which  originally  had  been  a  model  of  skill- 
ful landscape  gardening,  had  been  wholly  neglected 
and  was  worn  into  unevenness  by  the  rainfall  of  many 
years.  It  was  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  com- 
mon grass,  and  the  shrubbery,  from  lack  of  pruning 
and  cultivation,  had  relapsed  into  its  original  wild- 
ness.  The  climbing  rose  vines,  which  formerly 
adorned  a  beautiful  arbor,  had  become  but  a  dense 
growth  of  brambles  and  had  toppled  over  to  the 

[4]  (49)       f 


50  Joshua  Humble. 

ground  with  the  broken  and  decayed  woodwork 
which  formerly  held  it  in  an  upright  position. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  inclosure  a  heavy  iron 
gate,  of  recent  construction,  the  top  of  which  termin- 
ated in  a  row  of  sharp  iron  spikes,  was  the  only  en- 
trance to  the  premises ;  the  rear  entrance  and  car- 
riageway having  been  closed  by  a  tall  fence  of  rough 
boards  when  Miserleigh  secured  possession  of  the 
property^  The  building  was  of  a  peculiar  style  of 
architecture,  a  miniature  castle  with  a  single  square 
tower  at  one  corner,  flanked  by  the  main  edifice 
which  was  also  square  and  massive.  It  consisted  of 
two  tall  stories  surmounted  by  a  roof  of  slate  with 
two  dormer  windows  on  each  side.  The  main  build- 
ing contained  twelve  rooms,  six  on  each  floor,  and 
the  tower,  three  rooms,  one  on  each  floor.  The  orig- 
inal owner  had  built  the  house  for  his  home.  He  was 
very  wealthy,  had  traveled  in  Europe  and  had 
planned  it  after  an  old  English  baronial  residence, 
and  everything  used  in  its  construction  was  of  the 
best  quality.  It  was  indeed  a  palace  fit  for  the  home 
of  a  prince.  ;  .;..-.  -: 

When  Sol.  Miserleigh  became  the  legal  owner  of 
the  premises  and  its  furnishings,  everything  was  in 
good  condition.  He  simply  moved  in  and  took  pos- 
session of  everything,  including  china  and  silverware. 
The  former  owner  and  his  family  merely  walked  out 
of  the  house  when  Miserleigh  and  his  mother  and 
sister  walked  in.  It  was  a  simple  process  of  transfer, 


Ji  Dance  of  Demons.  51 

requiring  only  one  dray  to  bring  the  baggage  of 
those  who  came,  and  to  remove  from  the  premises 
the  few  personal  belongings  of  those  who  departed. 
But  twenty-four  years  of  wear  and  neglect,  the 
ravages  of  insects  and  mildew  and  virtual  abandon- 
ment to  the  canker  of  Time,  had  converted  every 
article  within  the  mansion  into  hopeless  wreck. 
Everywhere  dirt  and  grime,  ruin,  decay  and  utter 
desolation ! 

And  this  was  the  home  of  Sol.  Miserleigh 
and  of  his  mother  and  sister.  The  mother  had  lived 
seventy  years  and  had  withered  to  a  mere  skeleton, 
but  she  was  tall  and  strong  and  walked  with  a  quick 
elastic  tread.  Her  face  was  a  mass  of  deep  wrinkles 
which  lay  in  rigid  folds  in  many  different  angles; 
her  mouth  was  large,  and  from  her  thin  ashen  lips 
from  either  jaw  two  black  jagged  teeth  protruded. 
Her  eyes  cold,  gray  and  glittering  bulged  outward 
in  their  sockets  exposing  the  larger  portion  of  their 
white  surfaces  interlaced  with  bright  scarlet  veins, 
and  her  nose  was  long  and  slim  with  a  slight  down- 
ward curve  at  the  end.  Her  thin  snow-white  hair 
was  combed  back  from  her  low  retreating  forehead, 
and  the  expression  of  her  face  was  simply  and  wholly 
demoniacal.  Her  apparel  was  scant  and  slovenly 
in  the  extreme,  old  and  worn,  patched  and  tattered. 

Her  daughter  was  perhaps  forty  years  old,  but 
totally  unlike  her  mother  in  all  respects ;  her  features 
were  regular;  her  eyes  dark  blue  and  clear;  her  hair 


52  Joshua  Humble. 

long,  soft  and  golden ;  her  form  full  and  symmetrical 
and  she  had  evidently  been  very  beautiful  in  her 
youth.  But  she  was  a  hopeless,  harmless  maniac, 
and  her  feeble  mind  continually  wandered  in  a  laby- 
rinth of  weird  imaginings,  doubtless  influenced  and 
given  form  and  substance  by  her  horrible  surround- 
ings and  associations.  She  occupied  alone  the  second 
story  room  in  the  tower  and  wandered  over  the 
premises  at  will  at  all  times  of  day  and  night  and 
talked  and  jabbered  and  jeered  at  the  phantom  forms 
which  her  fevered  imagination  pictured  to  her  amid 
the  gloom  and  stillness  of  night,  under  the  deep 
shadows  of  the  dense  foliage  on  the  lawn. 

An  aged  negro  man  and  his  wife  occupied  a  build- 
ing within  the  inclosure  which  had  been  constructed 
for  and  used  as  a  stable  by  the  original  owner,  and 
these  two  feeble  minded  and  decrepit  persons  per- 
formed the  entire  labors  of  the  household  for  a  mere 
house  in  which  they  lived. 

In  the  dusk  of  evening  of  that  dreary  November 
day  on  which  William  Barnes  had  so  suddenly  given 
up  his  life,  Sol.  Miserleigh  hurried  homeward  from 
his  office  where  he  had  been  detained  later  than 
usual,  and  as  the  last  gleam  of  daylight  disappeared, 
giving  place  to  intense  darkness,  he  swung  open  the 
iron  gate  in  front  of  his  residence,  closed  and  locked 
it,  hurried  up  the  paved  walk  to  .the  entrance  and  rang 
the  door  bell.  His  summons  was  answered  by  the 
man  servant  who  opened  the  door  in  silence,  and 


^  Dance  of  Demons  53 

Miserleigh,  without  even  a  nod  of  recognition  or  a 
word  of  greeting  entered,  and  pausing  in  the  hall 
only  long  enough  to  deposit  his  wrappings  on  the 
hat  and  coat  rack,  passed  on  into  the  dining  apart- 
ment. The  room  was  large  and  bore  traces  of  for- 
mer elegance,  but  its  frescoed  walls  were  marred 
and  stained  and  its  costly  furniture  broken  and  cov- 
ered with  grime — the  accumulation  of  many  years. 
The  apartment  was  lighted  by  a  single  lamp  sus- 
pended from  the  ceiling,  the  once  beautiful  chande- 
liers still  remaining  but  broken  and  long  unused.  * 
Mrs.  Miserleigh  and  Aurelia  were  seated  on  either 
side  of  a  grate  in  which  a  few  burning  lumps  of  coal 
hissed  and  sputtered,  and  the  women  were  leaning 
forward  holding  their  hands  over  the  feeble  blaze. 
The  atmosphere  of  the  room  was  damp  and  chill, 
and  being  thinly  clad,  the  women  were  very  uncom- 
fortable, although  they  did  not  seem  to  be  conscious 
of  misery.  As  Sol.  entered  the  room  and  closed  the 
door  Mrs.  Miserleigh  glanced  at  the  clock  on  the 
mantel  and  said  to  him:  / 

"Well,  you've  come  at  last!" 
"Yes,  I  am  here,"  he  replied.  "What  of  it?" 
"The  supper  is  all  spoiled  waiting  for  you." 
"A  great  pity!  there's  such  a  great  quantity,  and 
so  choice  and  well  cooked  no  doubt !     But  come," 
he  added  in  a  milder  tone,  "let  us  not  quarrel  to- 
night,  but   rather   rejoice   together,   for   success   is 
coming  our  way  at  last  and  our  reward  for  long 


54  Joshua  Humble. 

years  of  scheming  and  patient  waiting  is  upon  the 
very  verge  of  realization !" 

"What !  What  has  happened — who  is  dead  ?  I 
know  that  somebody  is  dead!  Tell  me  quickly!" 
she  demanded,  almost  in  a  shriek  rising  from  her 
chair. 

"Be  quiet,"  replied  Sol.  tremulously.  "  I  cannot 
tell  you  here,  at  least  not  all — only  this  much :  Wil- 
liam Barnes  is  dead !" 

Mrs.  Miserleigh  stared  vacantly  at  the  wall  as 
Sol.  talked  and  did  not  seem  to  comprehend  his 
words.  She  clutched  the  back  of  her  chair  and  leaned 
on  it  for  support.  She  gasped  as  one  in  the  throes 
of  death,  and  with  her  disengaged  hand  tore  open  the 
dress  at  her  throat.  She  tried  to  speak  but  only  a 
horrible  gurgling  sound  came  from  her  lips.  Sol. 
was  shocked  but  not  frightened  by  her  peculiar 
behavior ;  he  had  often  seen  her  in  violent  paroxysms 
of  emotion  and  knew  that  no  serious  consequences 
would  ensue,  but  he  was  totally  unprepared  for  the 
denouement.  Suddenly  her  power  of  utterance  re- 
turned to  her  and  from  her  shriveled  lips  came  forth, 
horrible  laughter.  With  one  hand  grasping  the  back 
of  the  chair  her  other  arm  was  outstretched  toward 
him,  her  long  bony  fingers  clutching  the  air.  For 
several  minutes  she  continued  to  laugh  and  wave  her 
hands  and  sway  her  body  as  in  the  act  of  dancing, 
.while  Sol.  stood  still  and  speechless  against  the  wall. 

"Gone  mad!"  he  said  in  a  husky  whisper,  as  his 


A  Dance  of  Demons.  55 

voice  came  back  to  him,  and  he  began  to  tremble 
and  an  expression  of  amazement  and  terror  came 
upon  his  face.  "Gone  mad — stark  mad  with  joy! 
It  is  an  awful  sight  to  behold,  awful !  awful !"  and  he 
covered  his  face  with  his  hands  and  shivered. 

"She's  just  like  me,  now,"  shrieked  mad  Aurelia, 
"just  like  me!"  and  springing  to  her  feet  she  began 
whirling  in  graceful  circles,  swinging  her  arms  above 
her  head  and  shouting  and  laughing  as  only  a  maniac 
has  the  power  to  do. 

The  sudden  and  startling  demonstration  of  Au- 
relia served  to  revive  the  waning  reason  of  the 
mother,  who  gradually  recovered  her  self-possession 
and  with  a  wonderful  exhibition  of  strength  for  one 
so  aged  and  emaciated,  she  seized  Aurelia  by  the 
shoulders  and  forced  her  violently  down  upon  the 
chair  from  which  she  had  risen.  "Be  quiet!  Sit 
still!"  said  the  mother  harshly,  and  Aurelia  obeyed. 
Then  Mrs.  Miserleigh  turned  to  Sol.  and  said  pas- 
sionately : 

"Dead?  William  Barnes  dead,  did  you  say?" 
Then  advancing  she  grasped  him  rudely  by  the 
shoulders  and  said  tremulously  in  a  loud  whisper: 
"It  is  a  lie !  I  say  it  is  a  lie !  You  did  not  have  the 
courage — the  nerve  to — " 

"Hush,  hush!  interrupted  Sol.  beseechingly, 
"there  are  other  ears  than  ours  here.  Calm  yourself 
and  control  your  feelings.  Sit  down  and  be  quiet 


56  Joshua  Humble. 

and  after  supper  you  shall  know  all  that  has  happened 
and  nothing  but  the  plain  and  exact  truth." 

Then  he  ordered  the  servants  to  bring  in  the 
food,  and  as  he  and  his  mother  took  seats  at  the 
table  he  turned  to  his  sister  who  sat  by  the  fire  gaz- 
ing silently  at  the  feeble  blaze,  and  said  to  her  in  a  tone 
in  which  there  was  a  slight  expression  of  kindness: 
"Corae,  Aurelia,  supper  is  ready ;"  and  when  she  had 
taken  a  seat  at  the  table,  he  sat  down  by  her  side  in 
silence,  and  when  the  servants  had  brought  in  the 
food  and  placed  it  before  them,  those  three  strange 
beings  sat  there,  and  more  like  hungry  beasts  than 
human  creatures,  devoured  the  food  with  almost 
ferocious  greed.  Twenty  minutes,  perhaps,  they  sat 
munching  their  food  in  silence,  until  the  last  bone 
had  been  picked  and  licked  clean,  the  last  crumb 
of  bread  had  disappeared  and  the  last  drop  of  tea 
had  been  drained  from  the  pot,  and  then  as  they 
arose  from  their  chairs,  Sol.  ordered  the  servants  to 
remove  the  empty  dishes  from  the  table,  and  after  he 
and  his  mother  had  taken  seats  by  the  fire  he  turned 
to  Aurelia  and  said  savagely:  "Now  go  to  your 
room,  madcap,  and  stay  there  until  morning.  Go!" 


CHAPTER  VI. 

.    .  .A 

MAD  AURELIA'S  MOURNFUL  REMINISCENCES. 

But  Aurelia  did  not  seem  to  hear  her  brother's 
command ;  at  least,  she  did  not  heed  it,  but  remained 
standing  by  the  table  with  her  hands  clasped  across 
her  bosom.  Her  head  drooped  over  on  her  shoulder, 
her  eyes  were  fixed  upon  a  corner  of  the  ceiling, 
her  form  swayed  to  and  fro,  and,  finally  from  her 
parted  lips  came  forth  a  low  mournful  wail.  '•••*&• 

Sol.  hastily  arose  from  his  chair,  placed  his  hand 
rudely  upon  her  shoulder  and  pushed  her  violently 
toward  the  door,  saying:  » 

"I  told  you  to  go  to  your  room.  Now  go,  and 
cease  your  howling!" 

"Yes — yes,  I  am  going,  brother  Sol;  I  will  go 
soon,  but  first  tell  me,  oh,  tell  me,  who  is  dead?  I 
heard  you  say  somebody  is  dead — William  Barnes, 
I  think  you  said,  but  I  cannot  believe,  no — no,  it 
cannot  be !  It  is  not  mine — not  my  own — but  some 
other  William  Barnes  that  is  dead.  No,  my  William' 
is  not  dead,  for  he  was  here  last  night — out  there 
with  me  on  the  lawn.  Ah !  he  was  so  handsome  and 
so  strong  and  full  of  life  and  hope;  and  we  sat  to- 
gether on  the  bench  under  the  rose  arbor  and  talked 

(57) 


58  Joshua  Humble. 

together  in  loving  whispers  until  the  moon,  thinking 
our  wooing  too  sacred  to  gaze  upon,  covered  its 
face  and  vanished  and  then  we  kissed  and  said: 
"Good  night,"  and  he  went  merrily  away  to  his  home 
and  I  joyfully  to  my  chamber,  to  sleep  and  dream  of 
my  dear  one !" 

She  had  withdrawn  her  hands  from  her  bosom  as 
she  talked  in  a  soft  musical  tone,  and  held  them  out 
beseechingly  toward  her  brother,  and  as  by  chance 
her  gaze  rested  upon  them  she  paused  and  contem- 
plated them  a  moment  in  silence  and  then  said 
tremulously — while  an  expression  of  amazement  came 
upon  her  face : 

"Whose  hands  are  those?  not  mine,  surely  not 
the  hands  of  Aurelia  whom  everybody  calls  beautiful ! 
No,  no!  not  my  hands,  surely  not  mine;  for  last 
night — only  last  night  my  hands  were  soft,  and 
white,  and  dimpled ;  and  as  William  held  them  in  his 
soft,  warm  palms  he  said  that  they  throbbed  and 
fluttered  like  two  tiny  birds  in  the  rude  grasp  of  the 
poacher.  And  yet,  they  seem  to  be  my  hands  for 
they  are  fastened  to  my  arms — and,  see !  I  can  move 
the  fingers !  Ah !  what  will  my  William  say  when  he 
comes  to-night?  He  wrill  not  touch  those  withered 
fingers  for  they  are  not  human  hands,  but  claws ! 
horrible  claws!" 

As  she  held  up  her  hands  and  spread  them  out 
in  the  dim  light  of  the  smoking  lamp,  her  gaze 
chanced  to  rest  upon  the  large  cracked  mirror  of  the 


Mad  Jfuretia's  Sad  Reminiscences.     59 

sideboard  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room  which 
reflected  her  image,  greatly  distorted  by  reason  of 
its  web-like  fractures,  and  she  reeled  backward  in 
terror. 

"Whose  face  is  that?  Ugh!  What  a  horrible 
face!"  she  shrieked.  "It  is  not  mine — it  cannot  be 
mine!  the  face  that  yesterday  everybody 
called  beautiful;  the  face  that  William  loved 
and  called  divine!  No!  it  is  the  face  and  form 
of  a  demon — a  female  wraith  who  swallowed  me 
while  I  slept  to-day,  and  these  are  her  hands!  But 
when  William,  my  brave  and  true  one,  comes,  he 
will  slay  the  monster  in  whom  I  am  entombed,  and 
will  release  me;  and  then  we  will  be  married  again, 
but  this  time  before  the  whole  world  in  spite  of 
mother,  and  in  spite  of  you,  brother  Sol.,  for  I  will 
convince  him  that  your  cruel  insinuations  concerning 
my  chastity  are  false !  false  as  Satan's  words,  and  he 
will  joyfully  take  me  away  from  this  awful  place  to 
his  own  beautiful  home,  where  I  will  always  remain 
its  proud  and  happy  mistress  and  the  idol  of  its 
master's  heart!"  .  ^ 

:  "She  has  a  faint  glimmering  of  memory  and 
reason,  to-night,"  said  Sol  in  a  low  voice  to  his 
mother,  who  merely  nodded  in  reply. 

"Yes,  I  will  convince  my  William,"  continued 
Aurelia,  "that  the  children,  our  beautiful  babes  are 
his  children,  and  he  will  go  and  rescue  them  from  the 


60  Joshua  Humble. 

demon  who  carried  them  away  this  morning — stole 
them  from  my  arms  while  I  was  sleeping!" 

Sol.  Miserleigh  had  evidently  heard  enough  to 
greatly  disturb  his  conscience,  which,  although  so 
long  under  the  deadening  influence  of  crime  had 
apparently,  for  the  moment,  been  quickened  to  life 
by  the  sad  ravings  of  his  sister,  for  his  face  was  white 
and  his  lips  were  tightly  drawn  across  his  teeth.  He 
trembled  violently  and  breathed  like  one  in  convul- 
sions. 

"Go!"  he  said  hoarsely,  as  he  seized  her  by  the 
arm  and  pushed  her  violently  out  into  the  hall.  "Go 
to  your  room  and  sleep!" 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  DRAMATIC  TNTEBVIEW. 

As  Sol.  Miserleigh  thrust  Aurelia  out  into  the 
nail  from  the  dining  room,  his  conscience,  which  had 
been  sorely  pricked  and  chafed  by  her  mournful 
wailings,  relapsed  again  into  its  former  paralyzed 
condition  and  the  color  came  back  to  his  face  and  the 
keen  greedy  expression  returned  to  his  eyes.  His 
mind  had  been  so  thoroughly  preoccupied  by  his 
sister's  graphic  though  disjointed  recital  of  her 
wrongs,  that  he  had  failed  to  observe  the  presence 
of  the  servants  in  the  open  doorway  between  the 
dining  room  and  kitchen  where  they  had  observed 
and  heard  all  that  had  been  done  and  said.  But  his 
mind  was  not  in  the  least  perturbed  by  that  discovery 
because  he  believed  them  to  be  wholly  incapable  of 
understanding  the  significance  of  Aurelia's  revela- 
tion; but,  nevertheless,  he  was  angry  and  in  a  harsh 
and  peremptory  tone  commanded  them  to  remove 
the  dishes  from  the  dining  table,  and  after  that  had 
been  done,  he  closed  and  locked  the  kitchen  door, 
drew  his  chair  close  by  his  mother's  side  before  the 
few  dying  embers  in  the  grate  and  leaning  over  to- 
ward her  said  in  a  low  voiee : 

(61) 


62  Joshua  Humble. 

"You  must  be  calm,  else  you  will  surely  bring 
us  to  destruction.  Those  black  imps  in  the  kitchen 
are  nearly  frightened  out  of  their  wits  and  I  will  have 
to  invent  some  explanation  for  your  conduct. 
Upon  my  word  it  was  a  veritable  dance  of  demons !" 

"I  know,"  she  replied,  "I  know  that  I  lost  my  self 
control  for  the  moment,  in  the  mad  delirium  of  joy 
which  swept  over  my  soul !  Sol.,  my  son,  the  death 
of  William  Barnes,  if  accomplished  by  the  very 
means  and  in  the  precise  manner  planned  by  me,  is 
the  perfect  fruition — the  actual  accomplishment  of 
what  has  been  to  me,  many,  many  years — the  long 
intense  agony  of  desire  for  revenge !  You  seem 
to  partially  comprehend,  but  you  only  scratch  the 
surface  in  your  efforts  to  uncover  the  main-spring  of 
my  motives.  You  know  but  a  small  portion  of  the 
secret  of  my  intense  hatred  of  William  Barnes,  for  I 
have  kept  you  groping  in  darkness  in  that  relation 
all — all  your  life.  What  you  are — soulless,  cruel,  cold, 
crafty,  grasping  and  dishonest — I  have  made  you  by 
a  careful  course  of  training  upward  from  your  very 
cradle  until  now,  in  order  that  you  might  be  a  fit 
instrument  for  the  accomplishment  of  my  vengeance ! 
You  think  that  my  hatred  of  William  Barnes  dates 
from  the  time  of  the  occurrence  of  a  certain  tragedy 
out  by  the  lake — from  fear  that  he  might  succeed 
in  his  life-long  efforts  to  unravel  the  mystery  and 
bring  the  perpetrators  of  that  crime  to  the  scaffold. 
I  tell  you  no!  It  goes  back  far  beyond  that  time, 


Jt  "Dramatic  Interview.  63 

even  to  the  early  days  of  his  father's  life — his 
father — wHo  died — you  know  how!  Ah,  even  now 
I  can  see  him  lying  there  under  the  willows  on  the 
shore  of  Creve  Coeur  Lake,  with  that  horrible  wound 
in  his  breast  and  his  white  hair  stained  with  his 
blood !  I  shall  never  forget  that  night  when  you 
cowered  away  from  that  spot  like  a  hunted  hyenaz 
and  cast  that  bloody  knife  far  out  into  the  lake. 
You  did  not  even  pause  to  wash  the  blood  from  your 
hands,  but  ran  away  like  a  wounded  hound  and  left 
me  alone  with  the  ghastly  dead." 

Sol.  Miserleigh's  face  was  deathly  white  and  he 
trembled  like  one  with  palsy. 

"Enough — enough  of  that,"  he  said  appealingly. 
"In  God's  name  talk  no  more  of  that  or  you'll  drive 
me  mad!  I  believe  we  will  all  go  mad  eventually 
if  we  are  not  crack-brained  already.  I  sometimes 
think  that  both  you  and  I  are  scarcely  more  sane 
than  sister  Aurelia.  How  horribly  we  live,  and  we 
have  never  lived  better  than  we  do  now,  save  when 
we  first  occupied  this  house  twenty-four  years  ago. 
The  smell  of  the  grave  is  everywhere  within  this 
dreadful  inclosure  and  through  the  halls  and  aban- 
doned rooms  of  this  great  half-ruined  house,  phantom 
forms  wander  at  night,  and  when  storms  beat  upon 
it  they  revel  in  the  upper  room  of  the  tower,  like 
drunken  seamen  and  come  and  rattle  the  shutters 
of  my  windows  and  jeer  and  call  my  name  and  talk 
of  murder!" 


64  Joshua  Humble. 

"Ah,"  she  responded,  scornfully,  "I  see  you  still 
have  a  conscience.  I  thought  it  dead  long — long 
years  ago.  I  flattered  myself  that  I  had  strangled 
it  to  death  while  you  were  still  in  your  teens.  But 
perhaps  it  is  not  your  conscience  which  troubles 
you,  but  your  cowardly  disposition.  You  do  not 
know  it,  but  the  fact  remains  that  you  are  half 
Barnes  and  partake  of  their — "  •  w 

"What  do  you  mean?"  he  demanded  fiercely. 

"I'll  not  tell  you  now,"  she  replied  after  a  brief 
hesitation.  "No,  not  now,  but  after  you  have  ac- 
complished all — whei*  you  have  faithfully  executed 
my  plans  and  reaped  your  reward  for  your  fidelity; 
when  you  have  secured  for  yourself  the  greater  part 
of  the  Barnes  estate — mind  you,  only  the  greater 
part — for  you  shall  not  have  all  of  it,  that  boy  must 
have  some — then  you  shall  kno"w  all !  But  one  thing 
I  want  to  make  clear  to  you  now,  what  you  have  al- 
ways misunderstood,  and  that  is,  the  true  relations 
which  existed  between  Aurelia  and  William  Barnes." 

"What  is  there  about  that  which  I  do  not  already 
know?"  he  asked  eagerly. 

"This :  Aurelia  and  William  Barnes  were  legally 
married,  in  secret,  the  day  before  she  became  of  age 
and  the  following  morning  he  would  have  come  here 
and  taken  her  to  his  home  as  his  wife." 

"Great  God!"  he  groaned  and  buried  his  face  in 
his  hands. 

"Don't  call  on  God,"  she  replied  tauntingly,  "for 


Jt  Dramatic  Interview.  65 

if  there  is  really  such  a  Being,  He  would  not  heed  the 
prayer  of  a  Barnes !" 

Apparently  he  did  not  hear  her  last  remark,  but 
if  so,  he  did  not  heed  it,  for  he  remained  in  that  grov- 
eling attitude  in  silence  several  minutes.  Finally  he 
raised  his  head  and  still  groveling  and  trembling 
pitifully  he  spoke  in  a  faint  voice  addressing  her: 

"And  that  very  night  you  sent  me  to  William 
Barnes  to  poison  his  mind  against  Aurelia  by  im- 
peaching her  chastity,  and  he  knocked  me  down 
and  kicked  me  out  of  his  house  and  into  the  mud 
and  filth  of  the  street,  and  would  have  broken  every 
bone  in  my  body  but  for  the  fortunate  interference 
of  a  police  officer.  But  the  poison  of  my  slander  had 
lodged  in  his  soul  and  you  put  more  there  by  in- 
trigue, by  your  assumed  sorrowful  confidences  to 
your  servants  who  spread  the  vile  slander  abroad 
through  their  associates  until  even  the  upper  circles 
of  society  buzzed  and  echoed  the  horrible  lie,  and  it 
drove  the  poor  girl  mad !" 

"That  is  the  correcet  history  of  the  affair,"  she 
replied  calmly. 

"It  was  an  infamous  conspiracy  against  the  very 
life  of  your  own  daughter !"  he  continued,  vehemently ; 
"upon  my  word,  I  am  afraid  of  you !  You  are  a  hor- 
rible monster!  horrible  beyond  conception!"  and  he 
moved  his  chair  away  from  .her  to  the  other  side  of 
the  fireplace. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  MOTHER'S  SAVAGE  WARNING  TO  HER  SON. 

A 

A  brief  interval  of  silence  ensued  during  which 
the  expression  of  Mrs.  Miserleigh's  face  became, 
if  possible,  more  repulsive  than  before,  and  then  she 
arose  to  her  feet  and  walked  over  to  where  Sol  sat 
shivering  and  cowering  in  abject  fear,  and  grasping 
him  firmly  by  the  shoulder  she  said  angrily: 
!  "I  shall  make  no  apology  to  you  nor  to  anybody 
else  for  anything  that  I  have  ever  done.  I  have 
sown  and  reaped  and  the  harvest  is  all  mine.  True, 
I  did  not  intend  to  drive  the  girl  mad,  but  I  would 
not  have  hesitated  in  the  execution  of  my  plans  if 
in  the  beginning  I  had  foreseen  that  result.  I  would 
have  plunged  a  knife  into  her  heart  rather  than  that 
she  should  have  become  the  acknowledged  wife  of 
my  bitterest  enemy!" 

"That  would  have  been  far  more  merciful  than 
the  wound  which  you  inflicted  within  her  soul !  But 
why  did  you  allow  Barnes  to  visit  her  when  you  must 
have  known  in  advance  what  the  final  result  would 
be?"  he  asked  as  he  arose  and  pushed  her  hand  from 
his  shoulder. 

"I  did  not  intend  that  such  should  be  the  result," 

(66) 


\A  Mother's  Warning.  67 

* 

she  replied.  "I  only  intended  to  allow  them  to  bill 
and  coo  for  a  brief  space  of  time  and  then  to  clip 
their  wings  before  they  could  fly  away  together. 
You  well  know  that  it  was  my  purpose  to  get  him 
within  my  grasp  and  then  to  crush  him — crush  out 
his  very  life!  Twice  I  could  have  sprung  my  trap 
and  caught  my  game,  but  you  staid  my  hand,  because 
you  had  not  accomplished  your  purpose,  which  you 
presumed  to  be  identical  with  mine.  You  wanted 
his  money,  all — all  of  it  — the  entire  Barnes  estate — 
and  you  could  not  get  even  a  farthing  of  it.  And 
so  while  we  hesitated  the  goiden  opportunity  van- 
ished and  the  birds  came  out  in  full  feather  and 
mated,  and — you  know  the  rest."  ft 

"And  now,  a  few  more  words  and  I  am  done. 
Did  William  Barnes  die  of  disease?"   ••• 

"No;  he  died  of  Amos  the  Fox." 

"Quickly?"          *.  .1  ~, 

"Instantly!    Your  potion  did  the  work  as  well 
as  you  could  possibly  wish." 

She  laughed,  but  the  sound  was  like  the  snarl  of 
a  wild  beast.    ->-     ••••-».:;>     •*,. 

"And  when  will  he  be  put  in  the  ground?" 

"At  four  o'clock  to-morrow  afternoon." 

"And  you  will  attend  the  funeral?" 

"Yes,  if  you  think  best." 

-  "Go,  and  if  you  can  shed  a  few  crocodile  tears, 
do  so,  they  will  help  our  cause ;  yes,  weep  and  mourn ! 
"Ha,  ha,  ha!  Where's  the  boy?" 


68  Joshua  Humble. 

"This  morning  I  sent  him  out  of  town  in  charge 
of  Sam  Slick.  Langdon  does  not  know  of  Barnes' 
death.  It  is  a  game  of  skin  and  bleed." 

"Do  you  know  who  that  boy  is  ?" 

"Why,  Barnes'  nephew,  of  course." 

"Nothing  of  the  kind;  now  look  at  me,  if  you 
can  keep  your  wavering  eyes  in  one  position  a  few 
minutes,  and  listen.  You  may  bleed  him  financially 
to  the  utmost  limit  of  your  desire,  but  you  shall  not 
crush  him  nor  shall  you  harm  his  person  in  any  way. 
He  is  lawful  heir  to  the  Barnes'  estate,  and  were  it 
not  for  my  promise  to  you  he  should  possess  and. 
enjoy  it  in  safety  and  peace.  Even  as  it  is,  you  shah 
not  beggar  him  while  I  live,  and  if  you  even  attempt 
it  after  I  have  plunged  into  the  dark  unknown,  I  will 
come  back  and  haunt  you  until  you  will  rush  head- 
long to  meet  me  in  that  awful  vale  of  shadows !  Take 
the  greater  part  of  the  Barnes'  wealth  if  you  can  get 
it  and  keep  out  of  the  penitentiary,  but  be  satisfied 
with  that  for  you  will  never  need  more.  Remember, 
do  that  boy  no  bodily  harm  and  leave  him  enough 
for  a  comfortable  support.  This  is  my  command, 
and  you  dare  not  disobey  it." 

"I  will  respect  your  wishes,"  he  replied  meekly. 

She  looked  into  his  face  searchingly  a  few  mo- 
ments in  silence,  and  she  could  hear  the  beating 
of  his  heart.  Then  she  said  slowly,  by  way  of  part- 
ing: 

"Very  well ;  now  go  to  bed !"  and  without  another 


Jt  Mother's  Warning.  69 

word  he  went  to  his  room  and  crept  shiveringly  be- 
tween the  blankets,  after  having  removed  his  shoes. 

As  Mrs.  Miserleigh  covered  up  the  few  burning 
coals  in  the  grate,  with  fine  ashes,  she  muttered  to 
herself  in  a  hoarse  whisper: 

"I  have  lived  to  witness  the  fruition  of  my  fondest 
desire,  but  what  awful  sacrifices  I  have  made  for 
its  accomplishment!" 

Then  she  put  out  the  light,  felt  her  way  with  her 
hands  along  the  wall  to  the  door,  passed  out  into  the 
hall,  into  the  reception  room,  crouched  down  upon  a 
soft,  drew  a  heavy  woolen  blanket  over  her,  and  thus 
another  score  had  been  added  to  the  record  of  her 
wicked  life. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EARLY  MORNING  INCIDENTS  AT  THE  RESIDENCE  OF 
JACOB  BLUM. 

"Who  vas  dat  in  the  alley,  Leah?"  inquired 
Jacob  Blum  of  his  bed-ridden  wife,  in  a  frightened 
voice  as  he  raised  himself  in  bed  and  leaning  partly 
on  his  left  elbow  shaded  his  eyes  with  his  right 
hand,  and  endeavored  to  peer  through  the  slats  of  the 
blinds  of  a  window  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room, 
through  which  came  the  first  gleam  of  early  day 
dawn. 

"I  don't  know  who  dat  vos,  Yacob,  but  it 
schleeps  along  like  von  o'  de  poys,  aindt  it?"  re- 
sponded Leah,  evidently  not  at  all  frightened  as  she 
raised  her  feeble  body  to  a  sitting  posture  beside  her 
spouse. 

"Nein,  I  tinks  nodt,"  whispered  Jacob.  "Shust 
geep  schtill  a  leedle  pit,  und  lischten." 

Creep — creep!  patter — patter!  came  the  sound 
along  the  narrow  paved  alleyway,  and  then  a  brief 
pause,  and  then  again  advancing  footsteps,  evidently 
those  of  a  very  light  person,  shod  with  stockings  or 
rubber  shoes.  Then  came  another  pause  and  then  a 

(70) 


Early  Morning  Incidents.  71 

light  rap  on  the  bed  room  door  which  opened  upon 
the  alleyway. 

"Who  vas  dat?"  demanded  Jacob,  sitting  up 
straight  in  bed  and  shivering  from  fright. 

"Open  the  door  quick !  Jake,"  came  the  faint  re- 
ply of  a  man's  voice  accompanied  by  another  and  very 
impatient  knock  on  the  door. 

"Got  in  Himmel!  dat  vas  Amos  de  Fox,  I^eah," 
ejaculated  Jacob  as  he  slipped  out  of  bed,  jumped 
into  his  trousers  almost  at  a  single  bound,  hastened 
to  the  door,  unbolted  it,  swung  it  open  and  said  in  a 
half  whisper :  "Gootness  gerracious  Amos !  I  tinks 
you  vould'nt  be  here  for  an  hour  yet,  come  in." 

"Well,  I  am  here  a  little  ahead  of  the  appointed 
time,"  replied  Amos  the  Fox  as  he  stepped  into  the 
room  and  softly  closed  the  door,  "but  you  see,  Jacob, 
I  had  a  much  easier  job  than  I  anticipated,  and  I 
worked  fast,  and  here  I  am,  safe  and  sound  and  no 
'cops'  on  my  trail." 

"Goot,  goot !"  replied  Jacob,  patting  Amos  play- 
fully on  the  shoulder  and  leering  into  his  face,  "dat 
vas  goot ;  und  you  fixed  de  lemon  ?" 

"Well,  I  should  remark !" 

"Und  he  don't  vake  up?" 

"No ;  he  laid  there  sleeping  like  a  hog." 

"Und  how  you  know  he  takes  de  lemon?" 

"Know?  well  enough.  It  is  his  habit  every  morn- 
ing when  he  wakes  up  to  suck  the  juice  of  a  lemon, 
and  he  puts  one  on  a,  cjmir  within  easy  reach  when  he 


72  Joshua  Humble. 

goes  to  bed.  He  is  a  bilious  cuss  and  imagines  that 
the  lemon  juice  will  keep  him  from  having  the  ague. 
I  fixed  a  lemon  which  I  put  on  the  chair  and  I 
brought  away  the  one  which  he  placed  there  before 
going  to  bed,  and  if  he  ever  tackles  my  lemon  he 
will  never  even  kick  afterwards  and  won't  have  the 
slightest  suspicion  what  hurt  him." 

He — he,  ho — ho !"  giggled  the  Jew,  again  patting 
Amos  playfully  on  the  shoulder :  "Veil  dat  vas  goot ! 
de  ole  vomans  vas  a  rip  schnorter,  und  don't  you 
forget  im,  aindt  it?  How  you  indo  de  house  get?" 

"Opened  the  front  door  with  my  skeleton  and 
found  a  clear  runway.  Not  one  of  the  inside  doors 
locked  and  everybody  in  the  house  sound  asleep." 

"Und  you  get  somedings — some  monish?" 

"No,  you  greedy  old  fool !  that  would  have  given 
the  whole  thing  away.  No,  I  did  not  take  even  a  pin, 
only  a  lemon,  and  as  I  left  mine  in  its  place  there  was 
simply  an  even  exchange  and  consequently  no  rob- 
bery. I  came  out  by  the  way  I  entered  the  house — 
by  the  front  door — and  left  it  locked  just  as  I  found 
it.  There  were  no  'cops'  in  sight,  not  a  human  soul 
on  the  street,  for  the  fog  is  as  thick  and  wet  as  ever 
dropped  down  on  London." 

"Veil,  veil !"  chuckled  Jacob,  as  he  put  on  his  vest 
and  coat  and  thrust  his  bare  feet  into  a  pair  of 
slippers:  "Veil,  veil  Amos,  you  vas  a  schlick  von 
sure !  Go  indo  de  kitchen  und  I  vake  up  Martha  to 
cook  us  some  preakfascht,"  and  he  led  the  way  into 


Early  Morning  Incidents.  73 

the  kitchen  and  hastily  built  a  fire  in  the  stove,  all 
the  while  ejaculating  to  Amos  who  sat  on  a  low  stool 
in  a  corner  of  the  room ;  ''Veil,  veil,  you  vas  a  schlick 
von  Amos  und  no  mischdake !" 

Soon  Martha  came  into  the  room  and  greeted  the 
Fox  very  pleasantly,  but  seemed  considerably  em- 
barrassed, to  hide  which  she  began  to  chatter  in 
broken  dialect  as  she  hurriedly  cooked  the  food, 
while  Jacob  busied  himself  with  keeping  the  stove 
piping  hot.  Martha  talked  very  fast,  and  upon  a 
great  variety  of  subjects  to  which  Amos  responded 
in  monosyllables,  often  ridiculously  foreign  to  the 
subject;  but  Martha  did  not  seem  to  notice  his  pre- 
occupation of  mind  and  did  not  heed  his  uncertain 
and  confused  responses,  and  continued  to  pour  forth 
a  perfect  volley  of  words  quite  incomprehensible  ex- 
cept to  trained  ears.  Finally  in  the  very  midst  of  her 
rambling,  guttural  discourse,  she  paused  and  listened, 
as  did  also  her  master  and  Amos  the  Fox,  to  the 
sound  of  approaching  footsteps  along  the  brick  pave- 
ment of  the  alleyway. 

"It  vas  Mose,"  said  Jacob,  to  Amos  in  a  tone  of 
evident  relief,  "I  wonder  vy  he  come  so  soon?" 

"It  is  not  too  early,  six  o'clock,"  replied  the  Fox, 
glancing  at  his  watch,  and  that  moment  the  door 
opened  cautiously  a  little  way,  and  a  bushy  head  of 
curly  black  hair,  partially  covered  by  a  ragged  old 
cap,  was  thrust  through  the  opening,  and  a  grotesque 
Jewish  face  appeared,  and  its  glittering  eyes  glanced 


74  Joshua  Humble. 

questioningly,  first  at  Jacob,  then  at  Martha  and 
finally  rested  upon  the  face  of  Amos  the  Fox.  It 
was  an  old  face  which  appeared  in  the  partially  open 
doorway,  and  yet  it  was  not  wrinkled,  nor  were  there 
any  lines  of  age  under  its  gleaming  eyes,  but  its  ex- 
pression was  aged — an  indefinable  something  over 
all — denoting  experience,  intelligence  and  courage. 

"Vat  you  schtand  dere  und  keeps  open  de  door 
for?"  said  Jacob,  impatiently,  as  the  head  appeared 
and  disappeared  several  times  in  quick  succession. 
"Come  in  ye  schneakin'  varmint,  come  in  I  say  und 
schut  de  door!" 

With  a  quick  creeping  movement  the  hesitating 
form  glided  sidewise  into  the  room  and  closed  the 
door  softly  behind  him.  It  was  the  form  of  a  dimin- 
utive hunchback,  neither  old  nor  young,  neither  man 
nor  boy,  and  yet  all  of  these  in  one.  His  arms  and 
legs  were,  as  to  length,  nearly  equal  to  those  of  a 
man  of  medium  height,  and  his  hands  and  feet  were 
of  enormous  size  as  compared  with  his  stature,  while 
the  trunk  of  his  body  seemed  utterly  doubled  up 
within  itself  to  barely  one-fourth  the  usual  length 
of  a  human  body  of  medium  height.  His  head  sat 
squarely  down  on  his  shoulders  which  curved  upward 
from  his  short  thin  neck  to  their  extreme  points, 
and  an  immense  hump  extended  upward  on  his  back 
to  a  line  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  tops  of  his  ears. 
In  his  right  hand  he  carried  by  a  strap  a  bootblack's 
outfit,  consisting  of  a  box,  perhaps  eight  inches  in. 


Early  Morning  Incidents.  75 

length  by  four  inches  in  width  and  height,  contain- 
ing two  brushes  and  a  box  of  shoe  blacking,  while 
under  his  left  arm  several  copies  of  a  morning  news- 
paper, very  wet  and  much  soiled  were  clasped  against 
the  side  of  his  ragged  and  greasy  jacket. 

"Veil,  vat  you  come  home  so  soon  for?"  was 
Jacob's  snarling  inquiry  of  the  human  monstrosity, 
his  unfortunate  brother,  as  that  individual  silently 
deposited  his  shoe  blacking  outfit  and  newspapers 
on  the  floor  in  a  corner  of  the  room.  "Vat  you  come 
home  for  I  say,  ven  it  vas  more  as  half  an  hour 
'fore  daylight,  Eh?  I  tole  you  to  shday  in  front  of 
old  Barnes'  big  house  und  vait  until  he  come  oudt 
und  den  sell  him  a  bapier  und  black  his  shoes.  Vy 
you  not  shday  und  do  as  I  tole  you,  Eh?" 

"Veil,  look-a-here  Yacob,"  drawled  the  hunch- 
back with  an  assumption  of  humbleness  and  inno- 
cence. "Zhust  lischten  a  leedle,  vile  I  exblain.  Dot 
ole  moke,  Barnes,  don't  vont  no  bapier,  cause  vy? 
Cause  he  can't  valk  no  more,  und  can't  read  no  more 
— cause  he's  dedt — fell  dedt  mit  heart  disease  only 
bout  half-hour  ago !" 

"How  you  know?"  demanded  Jacob  with  feigned 
surprise,  "how  you  know  he's  dedt?" 

"Veil,  I  vas  schtandin'  on  de  udder  side  o'  de 
sthreet  und  vaiten'  for  de  ole  moke  to  come  oudt  to 
go  for  his  morning  pitters  to  de  saloon  aroun  de 
corner;  und  py  und  py  I  heard  a  screech  in  de  big 
house,  und  somepody  runnin'  aroun'  und  more 


76  Josuah  Humble. 

screechin'  und  runnin'  in  de  house,  und  den  a  great 
lubber  of  a  feller  come  runnin'  fon  de  house  oudt 
und  down  de  schteps  und  across  de  sthreet  to  de 
docthors,  und  pull  de  door  pell  like  de  tyful.  Den 
de  ole  docthor  pull  up  de  vindow  up  und 
poke  oudt  his  head  oudt  de  vindow  und 
ax  him  vot  he  vonts,  und  de  feller  at  de 
door  sez:  'Come  quick  dochtor,  Mischter  Parnes 
falls  down  on  de  floor  down!'  In  a  few  minutes  de 
dochtor  come  his  house  oudt,  und  goes  over  to  de 
big  house,  und  in  a  few  minutes  two  more  docthors 
come,  und  lots  of  beeples  come  de  house  oudt  und 
say  dot  Mischter  Parnes  ish  dedt — fell  down  on  de 
floor  mit  heart  disease,  und  den  I  come  home,  dots 
all!" 

During  the  hunchback's  disjointed  recital  of  his 
early  morning  experience,  the  thin  yellow  face  of 
Amos  the  Fox  underwent  many  peculiar  changes  of 
expression:  from  that  of  quiet  confidence  and  un- 
concern, to  one  of  apprehension,  then  fear,  and  then 
remorse;  and  his  little  keen  gray  eyes  were  simply 
two  glittering  interrogation  points,  wavering  across 
the  face  of  the  decrepit  little  hunchback.  During  the 
recital,  also,  Jacob  and  the  Fox  frequently  ex- 
changed significant  nods  and  glances,  and  when  the 
hunchback  had  concluded  his  story,  Jacob  turned  to 
him  and  said: 

"Veil  dat  ish  all  righdt  Mose,  of  course  ye 
couldn't  plack  his  shoes  up  if  he  had  to  go  und  get 


Early  Morning  Incidents.  77 

dedt.  Now  go  und  open  und  svweep  de  store  oudt  und 
hang  de  fine  suit  of  cloding  oudt  vat  I  puys  fon  de 
zhenteel  young  vomans  lascht  nighdt." 

As  Mose  went  out  to  comply  with  Jacob's  in- 
structions, Martha  placed  the  last  dish  of  cooked 
food  upon  the  table  and  the  three,  Jacob,  Amos  and 
Martha  sat  down  before  it  and  devoured  the  food 
in  silence.  Finally  Jacob  drew  back  from  the  table, 
wiped  the  grease  from  the  bristling  beard  around  his 
mouth  with  the  palms  of  his  hands  and  then  rubbed 
them  upon  the  sides  of  his  trousers,  took  up  his  fork, 
and  as  he  picked  his  teeth  with  one  of  the  tines,  said 
to  Amos  the  Fox: 

"Veil  pard,  dat  vas  goot  morning's  vork.  Two 
tousand  tollar,  und  you  gets  half,  und  de  palance  goes 
to  de  gang:  Steel,  Harlip  und  me.  Dat  vas  goot! 
und  now  Steel  shall  get  avay  mit  de  kid,  Harlip 
Brown  shall  get  avay  mit  ole  Humble,  und  I  shall 
get  avay  mit  Sam  Slick,  und  ve  shall  get  two  tousand 
tollar  for  each  job,  Eh?" 

"That's  the  bargain,"  replied  the  Fox  meditatively 
as  he  arose  from  the  table  and  put  on  his  hat.  "And 
now  I  must  go;"  and  without  another  word  he 
opened  the  back  door  and  passed  out  into  the  alley- 
way, while  Jacob  went  through  the  bed  room  into 
the  store  to  send  Mose  to  breakfast. 


CHAPTER  X. 
A  MABVELOUS  PHYSICAL  AND  MENTAL  TRANSFORMATION. 

As  Jacob  closed  the  door  behind  him,  Martha 
paused  in  her  work  of  washing  the  dishes  and  as- 
sumed a  listening  attitude  during  which  she  sud- 
denly underwent  a  marvelous  personal  transforma- 
tion. Gradually  and  in  detail,  like  soldiers  perform- 
ing military  evolutions,  each  several  feature  seemed 
to  change  position  sufficiently  to  produce  a  radically 
different  expression  of  countenance  until  finally  their 
slightly  Jewish  cast  wholly  disappeared  and  the 
peculiar  posture  of  the  body,  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguishing characteristics  of  women  of  the  Jewish 
race,  also  changed,  and  she  stood  erect  and  graceful 
with  an  expression  of  mingled  horror  and  disgust 
upon  her  fair  young  face.  She  stood  thus  several 
minutes  looking  vacantly  toward  the  door  through 
which  old  Jacob  had  disappeared,  and  beat  a  tattoo 
with  the  tines  of  a  table  fork  which  she  held  in  her 
right  hand.  She  was  evidently  engaged  in  self  com- 
munion, and  it  was  also  evident  that  her  thoughts 
were  not  at  all  pleasant.  At  length  her  meditations 
found  voice,  not  in  the  broken  English  dialect  of 

(78) 


Jl  Marvelous  Transformation.         79 

old  Jacob,  with  its  peculiar  twang  of  pronunciation, 
but  in  plain  and  vigorous  American-English. 

"Murder,  too!"  she  said,  "and  a  sneaking  cow- 
ardly murder  at  that !  and  three  more  souls  to  travel 
the  same  road  —  it  is  simply  horrible !  I  am  not 
much  good  myself,  and  very  much  wicked,  but  this 
wretched  cold-blooded  murder  makes  my  heart  sick ! 
I  can  endure  a  burglar  —  even  a  common  sneak- 
thief  in  a  sort  of  a  way,  but  a  murderer,  Ugh !  The 
very  thought  of  one  makes  the  chills  run  all  over  my 
body!  Why  did  I  ever  come  here?  Why  did  I  not 
remain  in  that  old  crockery  hogshead  in  the  cellar 
of  the  abandoned  building  on  Commercial  Alley  and 
die  of  starvation  and  malarial  fever,  or  be  devoured 
by  wharf  rats  ?  But  life  is  sweet,  even  to  a  homeless 
wretch  such  as  I  was,  and  so  I  became  the  servant 
of  a  miserable  old  Jew,  and  the  nurse  of  his  filthy, 
vile  old  wife,  rather  than  die !  But  it  would  have 
been  far  better  for  me  to  have  died  when  Jacob 
found  me,  in  my  nest  of  damp  straw  in  the  old  cellar, 
ten  years  a'go.  Ten  years  of  constant  association 
with  old  Jacob  and  Leah  —  ten  long  years  of  think- 
ing their  thoughts  and  aping  their  manners,  and 
hearing  only  their  wretched  dialect,  has  almost  trans- 
formed me  into  one  of  their  class ;  why,  I  think  and 
talk  and  act  like  them  unconsciously  when  in  their 
presence,  and  when  away  from  them  the  recollection 
of  their  influence  over  me  is  like  the  remembrance 
of  a  horrible  dream  J" 


80  Joshua  Humble. 

A  sharp  clicking  of  the  latch,  and  the  door  be- 
tween the  kitchen  and  the  sleeping  room  of  old  Jacob 
and  Leah  swung  slowly  backward  upon  its  rusty 
hinges  with  a  creaking  sound,  swung  a  little  way, 
stopped,  then  wide  open  and  Hunchback  Mose  came 
ambling  through  the  opening,  silently  sat  down  in 
a  chair  by  the  table  and  without  ceremony  began 
ravenously  to  devour  the  scant  supply  of  remnants 
of  food  left  by  the  others.  The  creature  gnawed 
the  bones  like  a  half-famished  dog  and  in  his  eager- 
ness clawed  the  food  into  his  mouth  with  his  long 
dirt-begrimmed  ape-like  fingers.  Martha  stood  look- 
ing down  pityingly  several  minutes  upon  the  pinched 
saffron-colored  face  of  the  misshapen  creature,  and 
then  said  to  him  in  a  kind  tone,  but  with  evident  feel- 
ings of  aversion,  adopting  again  the  accustomed 
dialect : 

"You  vas  hungry,  Mose?" 

"Yaw,"  he  answered  as  he  gnawed  a  piece  of 
gristle  from  the  end  of  a  bone,  "yaw,  I  vas  hungry 
now,  und  vas  always  hungry !" 

"Too  bad,"  she  muttered,  "too  bad !  It  is  a  crime 
to  treat  any  human  that  way!"  Stoopping  down  she 
opened  the  oven  door  of  the  cook  stove,  drew  forth 
a  large  tin  plate  heaping  full  of  fried  potatoes  and 
pieces  of  meat,  and  placed  it  on  the  table  before 
the  hunchback  saying: 

"There  Mose,  chaw  avay  at  dat,  und  fill  your 
stomach  for  vonce!" 


A  Marvelous  Transformation.          81 

"Vat,  Martha!  vas  all  dat  for  me?"  he  asked  with 
hands  uplifted  in  astonishment. 

"Yaw,"  she  replied  with  a  pitying  smile,  yaw 
Mose,  dat  ish  all  for  you,  chaw  it  all  down  und  fill 
your  stomach,  I  save  it  for  you." 

"You  vas  goot  to  me  Martha,  always,"  he  said 
with  quivering  voice,  "und  I  pays  you  pack  soom 
days  ven  you  may  need  a  frendt." 

"Veil  dat  ish  all  righdt,"  she  replied  as  she  began 
again  to  wash  the  dishes.  "I  vas  poor  und  hungry 
myself  vonce." 

"Yaw  dat  ish  so.  How  long  since  you  come  to 
live  mit  Yacob  ?  I  forget." 

"It  vas  den  year." 

"Yaw,  yaw,  und  I  vas  a  kid  den,  und  lib  mit  ole 
Mother  Levy  down  in  Carondelet.  Und  Yacob 
goes  aroun'  den  mit  an  ole  horse  un  vagon  und 
buys  ole  rags  und  iron,  und  he  found  you  in  a  cellar 
vere  he  vent  to  schdeal  some  lead  bipe,  aindt  it  ?" 

"Yaw,"  she  answered  gloomily. 

"Und  he  dakes  you  home  do  his  rag  house  vere 
he  lib  mit  his  ole  frow,  Leah — Eh?" 

"Yaw,  dat  ish  so." 

"Und  how  ole  vas  you  den?" 

"Dwelve  year  oldt." 

'Den  you  vas  dwenty-doo  now?" 

"Yaw." 

"Und  vas  so  sweedt  und  breety!  Vy  you  stay 
mit  ole  Yacob  and  Leah  ven  you  could  be  de 


82  Joshua  Humble. 

frow  of  a  young  and  handsome  man,  who  vood  love 
you?    You  vas  awful  sweedt  und  goot." 

Martha  colored  slightly,  and  in  silence  continued 
to  wash  the  dishes,  but  with  increased  energy. 

"Und  vat  ish  your  dthrue  name  ?"  persisted  Mose 
as  he  deposited  a  large  piece  of  meat  between  his 
jaws  and  began  to  chew  it  vigorously. 

"My  given  name  vas  Valentina,"  she  replied 
slowly  and  hesitatigly,  drawing  from  her  bosom  a 
tiny  gold  locket  on  which  was  engraved :  "Valentina 
from  Mary."  "I  vas  porn  on  Saint  Valentine's  day 
and  they  name  me  after  de  day." 

"Who  give  you  de  locket?'' 

"A  vomans  mit  who  I  lived  before  I  became  a 
gutter  urchin.  She  died,  poor  thing!" 

"Und  vat  vas  your  udder  name?" 

"I  don't  know,  Mose;  but  vy  you  ask  me  so  many 
questions  ?" 

"I  vont  to  know  all  about  you,"  he  replied  laying 
down  his  knife  and  fork  and  rising  from  the  table, 
having  devoured  the  last  crumb.  "I  come  here  five 
year  ago  ven  Yacob  go  indo  de  ole  cloding  pisness, 
und  I  find  you  here  und  Yacob  say  you  ish  a  Jew 
orphan ;  but  I  know  you  ish  no  Jew,  und  you  dreats 
me  goot,  und  Yacob  dreats  me  mean,  und  so  I 
likes  you  und  hates  Yacob,  dat  ish  all." 

"Veil  dat  ish  all  righdt,"  replied  Martha  sooth- 
ingly, "Now  run  along  into  de  store  or  Yacob 
gets  mad  und  vip  you." 


A  Marvelous  Transformation.         83 

"Yaw,  yaw,"  replied  the  hunchback  with  a  venge- 
ful expression  on  his  withered  face,  "Yaw,  but  I 
gets  even  mit  him  zoom  dimes  if  I  live.  Good-py 
breety  Valentina,"  and  he  shuffled  out  of  the  room 
bowing  and  grinning  like  a  trained  ape. 


I 


CHAPTER  XI. 
GHOSTS  OP  PAST  EVENTS. 

As  the  hunchback  closed  the  door  behind  him 
the  peculiar  Jewish  expression  again  vanished  from 
Martha's  face  giving  place  to  one  of  dreamy  medi- 
tation, and  as  she  stood  there  slowly  wiping  the 
dishes  that  she  had  washed  she  was  fair,  indeed  very 
fair,  even  beautiful.  She  was  of  niedium  height, 
with  form  almost  perfect  in  every  detail,  full  and 
plump  even  to  voluptuousness.  Her  features  were 
regular  and  extremely  delicate,  with  mouth,  nose  and 
chin  quite  perfect;  large  expressive  brown  eyes 
shaded  by  full  handsome  eyebrows  and  long  dark 
eyelashes.  Her  head  was  large  and  symmetrical 
and  crowned  with  an  abundance  of  dark  silken 
chestnut  hair,  and  her  complexion  was  of  the  warm 
glowing  tint  of  the  inhabitants  of  tropical  countries. 
Her  voice  was  soft  and  flute-like,  the  very  echoes  of 
harmonious  vocal  music,  and  her  every  movement 
was  graceful,  the  very  "poetry  of  motion."  The  hunch- 
back's blunt  boorish  inquiries  had  directed  her  mind 
into  new  channels  of  thought,  and  she  was  trying 
to  resuscitate  her  almost  dead  remembrances  of 
early  childhood. 

(84) 


Ghosts  of  Past  Events.  85 

Dimly  there  remained  impressed  upon  her  mind 
the  image  of  a  fair  young  mother's  face  with  a 
grieved  expression  about  its  beautiful  mouth  and  sad 
tearful  eyes;  she  could  feel  the  delicate  pressure  of 
loving  arms  around  her  and  faintly  hear  the  soft 
sweet  notes  of  a  lullaby.  And  upon  her  mind  was 
another  image  plainly  impressed :  that  of  a  cold-faced 
angry  eyed  man,  and  also  faintly  in  her  ears  echoed 
a  harsh  reproachful  voice,  and  an  old  feeling  of  abject 
terror  came  back  to  her  heart.  Upon  her  mind  also 
was  mentally  photographed  a  great  house  of  rough 
stone  with  a  tall  tower  at  one  corner,  and  many  ir- 
regular angles  and  gables,  and  with  wide  halls  and 
many  large  rooms  within.  And  another  image 
floated  across  the  image  of  her  mind :  that  of  a  tall 
old  woman  with  thin  white  hair  and  withered  form 
and  wrinkled  face,  with  cold,  gray,  blood-shot  eyes, 
bulging  out  painfully  from  their  sockets,  and  with 
long  black  teeth  protruding  from  between  thin 
ashen,  shriveled  lips.  And  still  another  woman's 
face  cold,  wrinkled  and  threatening  went  flitting  by. 

Then  came  a  throng  of  incidents,  ghosts  of  the 
dead  past,  trooping  one  by  one  through  the  dimly 
lighted  galleries  of  thA  temple  of  her  mini  First, 
the  sensation  of  being  carried  in  arms  a  long  distance 
at  night  in  a  freezing  atmosphere  through  a  blinding 
snowstorm,  of  the  bearer  sinking  down  and  vainly 
endeavoring  to  rise,  of  the  pitiful  sounds  of  a  pray- 
ing voice  and  sighs  and  weeping,  and  then  a  long  pe- 


86  Joshua  Humble. 

riod  of  silence  broken  only  by  the  moaning  of  the 
winds.  And  then  the  sensation  of  being  lifted  from 
the  earth  and  borne  away  in  arms,  and  then  the 
warmth  of  a  fire  and  the  cheer  and  comfort  of  a 
human  habitation,  and  then — oblivion. 

Then  again  there  passed  before  the  mirror  of 
her  mind,  vague  and  shadowy  forms  and  scenes, 
such  as  may  leave  a  faint  impress  upon  a  partially 
demented  brain  in  early  childhood  through  a  series 
of  years,  and  then  a  gradual  unfolding  of  the  mind 
and  corresponding  improvement  in  the  power  of 
comprehension;  and  then  a  vivid  recollection  of  the 
miseries  of  a  homeless  vagabond  life,  of  drifting 
around  the  streets  and  alleyways  of  the  city  with  only 
an  equally  homeless  and  friendless  young  bulldog  as 
companion  and  protector;  of  struggling  with  dogs 
in  the  gutters  for  the  possession  of  stray  morsels 
of  food ;  of  a  period  of  business  adventure  in  the  sale 
of  newspapers  and  matches  upon  the  streets  and 
finally  of  an  attack  of  sewer  fever  and  the  faithful- 
ness of  her  dog  companion  in  guarding  her  against 
the  attacks  of  wharf  rats  in  her  bed  of  straw  in  the 
deserted  cellar,  and  finally  in  directing  old  Jacob 
Blum  to  her  rescue. 

Up  to  that  period  of  her  life  she  remembered 
distinctly  but  one  human  face,  that  of  a  boy — a  hand- 
some, brave,  stout  fellow,  like  herself  a  homeless 
wanderer — a  bootblack  by  occupation — who  had 
often  defended  her  against  a  host  of  wild  gutter  ur- 


Ghosts  of  Past  Events.  87 

chins;  who  had  supplied  her  with  clothing,  pur- 
chased with  his  scant  earnings,  from  old  clothes 
dealers,  and  as  often  himself  gone  hungry  in  con- 
sequence. That  face  was  indelibly  stamped  upon  her 
mind  and  heart,  and  every  day  of  her  life — even  every 
hour — by  a  slight  effort  of  will  she  resurrected  it 
from  the  cold  ashes  of  the  dead  years  and  passed 
it  in  review  before  her  mental  vision,  and  joyed  in 
loving  it  to  the  utmost  fullness.  **< 

Light  quick  footsteps  along  the  brick  pavement 
of  the  alleyway  broke  rudely  in  upon  her  medita- 
tions, and  stepping  quickly  to  the  door  she  opened 
it  and  looked  out.  One  glance  at  the  face  of  the 
handsome,  elegantly  dressed  man  passing  along  the 
alleyway,  and  her  heart  gave  a  violent  throb  and  then 
seemed  to  cease  its  motion.  The  delicate  rose-tint  of 
nature  vanished  from  her  cheeks  and  lips  leaving 
them  as  white  as  marble.  He  heard  the  door  open, 
paused,  glanced  upward  at  the  fair  form  and  face  in 
the  doorway,  started,  took  a  step  toward  her,  hes- 
itated an  instant  and  then  in  evident  confusion  of 
mind  turned  and  walked  quickly  away.  A  few  mo- 
ments later  he  turned  into  a  wide  and  handsome  busi- 
ness street,  paused,  took  out  his  watch,  glanced  at 
the  dial  and  said  reflectively:  "Seven  o'clock,  time  is 
up,  and  Sam  Slick  always  keeps  his  appointments 
promptly.  Three  squares  yet  and  old  Miserleigh 
waiting!"  and  he  hurried  along  the  street  at  a  very 
fast  walking,  muttering :  "So  like  little  Valentina !  Just 


88  Joshua  Humble. 

as  she  would  have  looked  grown  up.  But  no,  it  can- 
not be,  she  has  been  dead  ten  years,  poor  little  dear, 
and  long  since  crumbled  into  dust." 

As  Martha  stood  in  the  kitchen  doorway,  speech- 
less and  spellbound,  looking  in  the  direction  in  which 
that  familiar  face  had  vanished,  she  was  a  perfect 
model  for  a  statue.  Her  posture  was  graceful  and 
elegant,  and  eloquently  expressive  of  deep  and  thril- 
ling emotion.  Her  left  hand  was  pressed  against  her 
bosom  just  over  her  heart  as  though  to  check  its 
wild  pulsations,  and  her  right  arm  was  extended 
partially  in  a  beckoning  manner,  and  partially  as 
in  the  act  of  enfolding  some  object  within  her  em- 
brace. Her  large  brown  eyes  sparkled  with  an  ex- 
pression of  intense  joy  and  her  form  quivered  as 
though  under  the  influence  of  an  electric  current. 
As  she  stood  thus,  utterly  deprived  of  the  power  of 
motion,  an  immense  bull-dog  crept  out  of  his  kennel 
in  the  back  yard,  pushed  open  the  gate,  and  went 
bounding  out  into  the  alleyway,  began  smelling 
along  the  pavement  over  which  Sam  Slick  had 
walked  but  a  few  moments  before,  and  in  low  whining 
tones  gave  vent  to  almost  human  expressions  of 
delight,  during  which  Martha,  having  partially  recov- 
ered from  the  shock  of  surprise,  sank  down  in  a 
chair  and  watched  the  dog  with  breathless  interest. 
Finally  the  sagacious  animal  glanced  upward  and 
discovered  his  young  mistress  sitting  in  the  doorway 
and  bounded  toward  her  with  profuse  manifestations 


Ghosts  of  Past  Events.  89 

of  delight.  At  the  foot  of  the  flight  of  three  steps 
leading  up  from  the  pavement  of  the  alleyway  to  the 
kitchen  door,  he  squatted  down  on  his  haunches 
and  elevating  his  nose  gazed  upward  into  his  mis- 
tress' face  with  an  expression  of  almost  human 
intelligence,  a  mute  but  plain  inquiry  and  an  answer 
combined,  that  is:  "Don't  you  know  him?  Yes 
you  do,  and  so  do  I !" 

"Who  is  it  ?  dear  old  Hero,  who  is  it  ?"  asked 
Martha  in  soft  tremulous  tones  looking  lovingly 
down  into  the  eyes  of  her  faithful  canine  friend. 
"Paul  Dyke,  whom  we  thought  long  since  dead? 
Is  it  Paul,  Hero,  is  it  Paul?" 

The  human  eyes  of  the  animal  assumed  an  ex- 
pression of  intelligent  comprehension  which  lan- 
guage cannot  describe,  as  he  bowed  his  head  and 
gave  vent  to  a  low  winding  bark  wdiich  sounded 
very  much  like  a  human  voice  saying:  "Yes,  Val- 
entina,  it  is  Paul !" 

Joyfully  she  held  out  her  hands  toward  the  dog 
who  instantly  bounded  up  the  steps  to  her  feet,  and 
she  sank  down  upon  her  knees  and  clasped  her  arms 
around  his  neck  and  laid  her  cheek  upon  his  head  and 
wept,  while  Hero  whined  in  a  caressing  voice  as 
though  endeavoring  to  talk. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  "THREE  GRACES  OF  SATAN." 

William  Barnes  had  been  afflicted  with  heart  dis- 
ease for  several  years  and  from  the  first  manifesta- 
tions of  the  dread  malady  he  had  been  under  constant 
medical  treatment  by  Dr.  Hedges,  the  physician 
first  called  by  the  servant  who  heard  his  master  fall 
upon  the  floor  and  hurried  into  his  room  to  find 
him  prone  upon  his  back,  apparently  lifeless.  There- 
fore when  Dr.  Hedges  examined  the  body  which  had 
been  placed  upon  the  bed  and  discovered  all  the  out- 
ward indications  of  death  from  heart  disease,  he 
simply  stated  the  facts  to  the  other  physicians  who 
had  been  summoned,  and  after  a  casual  view  of  the 
bodyby  them  a  post-mortem  examination  was  deemed 
unnecessary,  and  was  consequently  dispensed  with 
in  deference  to  the  well  known  aversion  of  the  de- 
ceased to  such  proceeding  and  therefore  all  that  re- 
mained to  be  done  by  the  doctors  was  to  prepare  a 
certificate  setting  forth  the  cause  of  death,  and  to 
summon  an  undertaker  to  prepare  the  body  for 
burial,  and  that  matter  having  been  duly  attended  to, 
the  physicians  took  their  leave.  During  the  forenoon 
the  undertakers  accomplished  their  sad  duties,  and 

(90) 


The  "Three  Graces  of  Satan/'         91 

by  direction  of  Judge  Prye  who  for  many  years  had 
been  the  trusted  friend  and  legal  counselor,  attorney 
and  general  business  representative  of  the  deceased, 
the  body  was  conveyed  in  a  handsome  casket  down 
stairs  into  the  front  parlor  where  hundreds  of  peo- 
ple came  during  the  day  and  evening  to  look  for  the 
last  time  upon  the  face  of  him  who  had  ever  been  a 
generous  friend  of  the  poor,  and  an  honorable  and 
useful  citizen.  n 

Among  the  first  callers  at  the  Barnes  residence 
during  the  morning  of  the  day  following  that  of  the 
death  of  its  owner,  were  Mrs.  Sly,  Becky  Falser 
and  Jerusha  Snuffer.  They  had  assembled  at  the 
lodgings  of  Mrs.  Sly  as  per  previous  arrangement, 
and  went  together  therefrom,  chattering  in  coarse 
tones  the  gossip  of  the  neighborhood  concerning 
the  life  and  character  of  the  deceased,  Mrs.  Sly,  as 
usual,  leading  in  the  conversation  and  skillfully 
supplying  subjects  for  conversation. 

"Jist  as  I  said  last  night,"  remarked  Mrs.  Sly  to 
the  others,  as  they  walked  slowly  along  the  street, 
"Jist  as  I  said  when  that  old  hussy  Mistress  O'Keefe 
pounded  on  the  wall  and  spiled  our  talk.  It'll  be  a 
funeral  wi'out  mourners.  People  will  go  to  look  at 
the  corpse  jist  to  see  how  it  looks,  and  to  git  the 
latest  news  right  on  the  spot,  but  nobody's  goin'  to 
cry  'cept  the  ole'oman,  his  housekeeper  and  the 
servants,  who  are  sorry  only  because  they're  out 
of  a  job.  He  was  a  pizen  old  wretch  and  only  give  to 


92  Joshua  Humble, 

the  poor  to  git  his  name  up.  Yes,  there'll  be  no 
mourners,  not  a  single  blood  relation  at  his  funeral, 
for  they  do  say  that  the  young  dandy  what  he 
claimed  as  his  nephew  can't  be  found  nowhere,  and 
I  hear  that  some  people  think  that  there  may  be 
something  crooked  about  the  old  man's  death,  and 
that  the  young  feller  may  have  helped  him  to 
'shuffle  off  his  moral  pile'  as  the  feller  said  in  the 
theatre  the  other  night,  meanin',  that  he  helped  him 
to  'kick  tne  bucket,'  or  as  the  gamblers  say,  'pass  in 
his  checks/  You  know  what  I  mean,  I  don't  like  to 
speak  it,  for  it  makes  the  cold  chills  run  up  an<7 
down  my  back  to  say  that  ugly  word — ugh !" 

"Ye  mean,"  squeeked  Becky  Falser,  "that  peo- 
ple think  that  William  Barnes  was  murdered  and  that 
young  Langdon  is  the  feller  that  had  it  done?" 

"Aye,  responded  Mrs.  Sly  with  a  shiver,  "aye, 
that's  what  I  intended  to  say,  I  hearn  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh  hintin'  that  way  to  a  fishwoman  as  he  was 
buyjn'  some  fish  to  be  sent  home." 

"Law  sakes  alive!"  chimed  in  Jerusha  Snuffer, 
"how  shockin!  To  think  that  his  own  blood  kin 
would  even  wish  to  have  him  put  out  of  the  way — ah, 
its  dreadful!  dreadful  to  meditate  on!  They  do  say 
that  there  is  a  good  deal  of  doubt  in  some  people's 
minds  about  the  young  feller  a  bein'  any  relation  at 
all  of  old  Barnes.  I  was  a  talkin'  with  ole  Mother 
Hurt  this  mornin'  afore  breakfast  about  it,  and  she 
says  that  she  has  knowed  the  Barnes  family  nigh 


The  "Three  Graces  of  Satan."        93 

onto  forty  year,  and  that  William  Barnes  never  had 
a  sister,  and  only  one  brother  who  died  more'n 
twenty  year  ago  and  was  never  married  and  had  no 
children  than  nobody  knows  on.  She  says  that  old 
Barnes  got  the  kid  somewhar  before  it  had  turned 
white  and  tried  to  find  another  one  which  some- 
body had  stole,  an'  now  he  calls  this  un  which  he 
brought  up  on  a  bottle,  his  nephew — Pshaw !" 

"For  my  part,"  said  Mrs.  Sly,  in  a  half  whisper 
and  with  a  scornful  toss  of  her  head,  as  she  opened 
the  iron  gate  in  front  of  the  Barnes  residence,  "for 
my  part,  I  think  that  this  young  scamp  and  the  lost 
kid  also  are  only  old  Barnes'  love  children — hark! 
there's  a  big  crowd  here  already,"  and  they  ascended 
the  flight  of  marble  steps  and  a  few  moments  later 
stood  in  the  solemn  presence  of  the  dead. 

"How  nateral  he  looks,"  said  Becky  Falser  as 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  casket  and  looked  down 
upon  the  still  form. 

"And  the  red  spots  on  his  cheeks!"  whispered 
Jerusha  Snuffer,  hysterically. 

"And  his  eyes  closed  jist  as  in  sleep,  not  the 
least  sunken,"  said  Mrs.  Sly  in  a  low  tone ;  looks  jist 
like  he  was  breathin';"  and  then  the  idle  venomous 
gossips  stepped  backward  to  give  place  to  the  in- 
flowing tide  of  true  heartfelt  mourners,  among  whom 
were  Mrs.  O'Keefe  and  her  two  sons,  all  very  plainly 
but  neatly  dressed,  apparently  for  the  occasion.  As 
that  good  woman  stood  looking  down  upon  the  dead 


94  Joshua  Humble. 

face  of  her  kind  benefactor,  her  usual  calmness  and 
self-control  deserted  her,  and  she  broke  forth  in  a 
low  plaintive  wail  of  sorrow,  while  tears  gushed  from 
her  almost  sightless  eyes  and  coursed  down  her 
face. 

"Come,  mither  dear,  come  away!"  said  Mick  in 
a  kind  and  gentle  tone,  as  he  laid  his  hand  lovingly 
upon  her  shoulder.  "He  is  dead,  mither,  rist  his 
soul,  and  weepin'  cannot  bring  him  back  to  life. 

"Yis,  Mickey  dear,  I  know,  I  know,  but  he  was 
a  good  friend  t'  us  an'  all  th'  poor,  but  he  cannot 
come  back  to  us,  he  cannot  come  back  to  bless  and 
cheer  an'  comfort  us  as  in  days  gone  by.  Good  bye 
dear  friend,  good  bye,"  and  she  stooped  and  kissed 
the  cold  dead  face  and  was  quietly  led  away  to  her 
home. 

"What  an  'ole  hypocrite!"  said  Mrs.  Sly  spite- 
fully as  the  three  gossips  followed  the  O'Keefe  fam- 
ily along  the  street  at  a  distance. 

"Aye,  aye,"  replied  Becky  Falser  sneeringly, 
"quite  emotional — quite !" 

"They  do  say  that  the  ole  'oman  was  rather  too 
intimate  wi'  old  Barnes  in  all  decency  an*  virtue," 
squeaked  Jerusha  Snuffer,  elevating  her  long  slim 
nose  and  snorting  like  a  racer  on  the  home  stretch 
of  a  last  heat.  And  so  the  gossips  gave  vent  to 
vile  slander,  each  endeavoring  to  outdo  the  other, 
until  at  the  doorway  of  Mrs.  Sly  they  parted,  and 
each  sought  her  own  home  to  ponder  over  the  events 


The  "Three  Graces  of  Satan."         95 

of  the  day,  and  to  invent  new  tales  to  be  scattered 
abroad  in  defamation  of  the  pure  and  honorable  soul, 
that  had  so  suddenly  flitted  away  from  its  earthly 
habitation,  to  a  new  life  of  glorious  immortality. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
AUKELIA'S  STABTLING  ACCUSATIONS. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring  at  and  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Barnes  residence,  Sol.  Miserleigh 
in  his  office  with  windows  closely  curtained  and 
doors  locked  and  bolted,  sat  by  his  desk  earnestly 
engaged  in  endeavoring  to  obliterate  writing  by  the 
application  of  chemicals.  He  had  been  thus  employed 
since  early  morning,  but  his  work  thus  far  had  been 
merely  experimental,  and  evidently  far  from  satis- 
factory. The  chemicals  employed,  a  mixture  of 
chloride  of  lime  and  water,  settled  and  filtered,  to 
which  was  added  about  one-eighth  part  of  ascetic  acid, 
forming  a  white  transparent  liquid  was  applied  with  a 
fine  camel's  hair  pencil  brush  to  some  writing  on  a 
sheet  of  white  paper,  and  almost  instantly  the  writ- 
ing disappeared ;  but  traces  of  the  action  of  the  solu- 
tion were  plainly  visible  upon  the  enamel  of  the 
paper,  and  Miserleigh  was  endeavoring  to  repolish 
it  with  the  oval  end  of  an  ivory  handled  ink  eraser. 

Finally  he  sat  still  a  few  moments  looking  down 
upon  the  paper  on  the  desk,  and  said  reflectively: 
"After  the  solution  has  erased  the  writing,  I  must  re- 
move the  solution  and  let  the  paper  get  perfectly  dry, 

(96) 


Jturetia's  Startling  Accusations.       97 

and,  then  spread  evenly  over  the  tarnished  surface, 
some  pulverized  and  clarified  resin  (I  have  some  here 
in  the  desk),  and  then  polish  evenly." 

Then  he  applied  a  small  quantity  of  the  solution 
to  some  writing  on  another  part  of  the  sheet  of 
paper,  examined  it  attentively  with  a  magnifying 
glass,  and  when  the  writing  had  entirely  disappeared 
absorbed  the  moisture  remaining  on  the  surface 
with  a  clean  piece  of  blotting  paper;  then  he  dipped 
a  tiny  piece  of  soft  silken  sponge  into  a  glass  of 
filtered  water,  squeezing  it  out  almost  dry  and 
passed  it  gentlv  several  times  over  that  portion  of  the 
paper  from  which  the  writing  had  been  erased  by 
the  chemical  solution.  Then  he  arose,  went  to  the 
stove,  held  the  damp  spot  on  the  paper  to  the  fire 
until  it  was  thoroughly  dry,  returned  to  his  desk, 
spread  a  small  quantity  of  finely  powdered  resin 
over  the  tarnished  surface  of  the  paper,  polished  it 
down  evenly  and  smoothly  with  the  oval  end  of  the 
handle  of  the  ink  eraser,  took  the  paper  up  in  his 
left  hand,  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  took  the  magni- 
fying glass  in  his  right  hand,  held  it  between  his  eyes 
and  the  paper,  and  carefully  examined  his  work. , 

"Not  a  trace,"  he  said  excitedly,  "not  even  a 
shadow  of  an  erasure — it  is  simply  perfect  1" 

As  he  put  the  paper  and  glass  down  upon  the 
desk,  his  hands  began  to  tremble,  his  saffron-colored 
face  became  flushed,  and  large  bead-like  drops  of 
perspiration  gathered  upon  his  brow.  He  sat  thus 

[7] 


98  Joshua  Humble. 

several  movements,  quivering,  chuckling,  grinning  like 
a  very  fiend,  all  the  while  rubbing  his  hands  together 
nervously  and  swaying  his  body  to  and  fro  in  his 
chair.  Gradually,  however,  he  regained  his  self- 
possession,  and  when  perfectly  calm,  he  reached 
forward  and  opened  the  secret  drawer  of  his  desk 
and  drew  forth  a  small  slip  of  paper  on  which  was 
written  in  Miserleigh's  peculiar  handwriting,  except 
the  signature  at  the  bottom,  the  following: 
$3,000.00  "St.  Louis,  Nov.  3d,  18 — . 

Twelve  months  after  date,  I  promise  to  pay  to 
the  order  of  Sol.  Miserleigh,  Three  Thousand  Dol- 
lars, with  interest  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent  per 
annum,  Value  received. 

William  Barnes." 

"And  now,"  said  Miserleigh  tremulously,  laying 
down  the  promissory  note  upon  his  desk:  "now 
comes  'the  tug  of  war.'  I  may  not  be  as  successful 
with  the  real  work  as  I  have  been  with  the  experi- 
ment. If  I  fail  I  simply  lose  three  thousand  dollars 
as  this  is  the  only  evidence  in  existence  of  his  indebt- 
edness to  me.  If  I  succeed,  I  gain  at  one  swoop  a 
twenty  seven  thousand  slice  of  the  Barnes  estate. 
It  is  worth  the  trial — it  is  worth  the  hazard!  With 
quick  decisive  movements,  he  smoothed  down  the  note 
upon  the  desk,  and  applied  the  chemical  solution 
to  the  word  "three"  in  the  body  of  the  note,  and  ex- 
citedly watched  the  effect  through  the  magnifying 
glass.  The  solution  did  the  work  thoroughly  and 
rapidly^  and  Miserleigh  sponged  and  polished  the  ab- 


Jlurelia's  Startling  Accusations.        99 

rased  surface  as  he  had  done  during  his  successful 
experiment.  The  result  was  highly  satisfactory  to 
him,  and  as  he  laid  down  the  magnifying  glass,  he 
said  almost  joyfully :  "It  is,  if  possible  more  perfect 
than  the  other.  I  have  won !  The  change  can  never 
be  detected!" 

Then  he  proceeded  to  erase  in  like  manner  the 
dividing  points  between  the  figures  in  the  upper  left 
hand  corner  of  the  note  and  also  ciphers  denoting 
cents,  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  said  falteringly: 
"Now  is  the  supreme  moment.  Can  I  steady  my 
nerves  to  write  naturally  ?  I  fear  not — I  fear  not ! 
Oh,  for  one  moment  of  absolute  calmness !"  and  he 
rubbed  his  cold  hands  together,  while  an  agonized 
expression  came  upon  his  face.  Several  minutes  he 
sat  thus,  shivering  with  nervous  ague  and  then  with 
a  quick  movement  he  arose  and  went  to  a  small 
closet  in  the  opposite  corner  of  the  room,  unlocked 
the  door,  took  out  a  bottle  labeled  "Brandy"  poured 
about  two  teaspoonfuls  into  a  small  graduating  glass, 
added  a  little  water,  drank  it,  smacked  his  lips  and 
said: 

"Not  too  much!  not  too  much!  although  I  am 
sorely  tempted  to  take  more.  I  could  drink  the 
whole  of  it  and  still  not  feel  satisfied !  I  love  liquor 
better  than  anything  else  on  earth,  and  even  a  slight 
taste  of  it  drives  me  almost  mad  from  thirst  for 
the  accursed  liquid  of  hell!  But  I  have  work  to  do 
now,  fine  steady  work,  so  back  you  go  into  your 


100  Joshua  Humble. 

hiding  place,"  and  he  returned  the  bottle  and  glass  to 
the  closet,  locked  the  door,  returned  to  his  desk,  sat 
down  in  the  chair,  took  up  the  pen,  dipped  it  care- 
fully into  the  ink,  and  with  steady  hand  wrote 
"Thirty"  where  the  word  "Three"  had  formerly  ap- 
peared in  the  body  of  the  note.  A  few  skillful  dashes 
of  the  pen  which  added  two  dots,  a  cipher  and  the 
fractional  marks  denoting  cents  to  the  figures  in 
the  upper  left  hand  corner,  and  the  work  was 
finished. 

"That  will  do"  he  said  quietly,  as  he  returned 
the  magnifying  glass  and  note  to  the  secret  drawer 
in  his  desk  and  carefully  closed  it.  "It  is  well  exe- 
cuted and  the  alteration  cannot  be  detected !"  Then 
he  arose,  locked  his  desk,  put  on  his  overcoat  and 
hat,  unbolted  the  front  door  of  his  office,  stepped 
out  upon  the  pavement,  closed  and  carefully  locked 
the  door,  and  then  walked  quickly  away.  A  brisk 
walk  of  half  an  hour  brought  him  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Barnes  mansion  which  was  only  about  eight 
squares  distant  from  his  own  residence  and  glancing 
at  his  watch  he  observed  that  it  lacked  only  about 
three  quarters  of  an  hour  of  the  time  appointed  for 
the  funeral  cortege  to  start  from  the  residence  to 
the  cemetery.  As  he  returned  the  watch  to  his 
pocket  and  started  forward,  he  saw  Joshua  Humble 
enter  the  mansion  in  company  with  Judge  Prye  and 
the  two  evidently  in  close  conversation,  and  instantly 
his  guilty  conscience  smote  him  with  the  scorpion  lash 


Karelia's  Startling  Accusations.      161 

of  dire  forebodings  of  impending  disaster,  and  his 
first  impulse  was  to  turn  and  flee  with  all  possible 
speed  from  the  awful  presence  of  a  just  and  pitiless 
avenger.  ) 

A  moment  only  did  Miserleigh  hesitate  and  then 
his  better  judgment  overcame  his  fears,  and  with 
a  low,  light  laugh  he  muttered  as  he  again  moved 
forward:  "Met  merely  by  accident  —  it  signifies 
nothing.  Humble  dare  not  betray  me!  He  is  my 
dog  and  wears  my  collar.  I  have  his  head  upon 
the  block  and  hold  the  ax  in  readiness  to  decapitate 
him  the  moment  that  he  betrays  the  slightest  evi- 
dence of  insubordination  or  treachery!" 

Pressing  his  way  through  the  silent  throng  of 
sad-faced  people,  upon  the  pavement,  upon  the  steps, 
and  within  the  spacious  hallway  of  the  mansion 
and  into  the  parlor  where  William  Barnes  lay  still 
and  cold  in  death,  Sol  Miserleigh  paused  beside  the 
casket  and  glanced  timidly  down  upon  the  face  of  his 
victim.  As  he  stood  in  that  awful  presence,  look- 
ing down  upon  that  calm,  cold  face,  the  dead  eyes 
seemed  to  open  and  the  lips  seemed  to  move  and 
the  familiar  voice  of  William  Barnes  in  a  faint 
whisper  echoed  in  his  ears  the  terrible  words : 
"Slanderer !  Forger ! !  Murderer ! ! !"  and  he  cow- 
ered backward  through  the  throng  of  mourning  peo- 
ple toward  the  open  doorway.  After  several  frantic 
but  ineffectual  efforts  to  escape  from  the  building, 
he  paused  amid  a  throng  of  factory  operatives,  among 


102  Joshua  Humble. 

whom  were  Mrs.  O'Keefe  and  her  two  stalwart 
sons,  and  the  chief  gossips  of  the  neighborhood,  the 
Sly,  Snuffer  and  Falser  women,  the  Three  Graces  of 
Satan — Falsehood,  Hypocrisy  and  Slander. 

In  his  eagerness  to  escape  from  the  mute  accus- 
ing presence  of  the  dead,  Sol  Miserleigh  had  riot 
noticed  the  commotion  amid  the  throng  of  people 
around  the  casket  at  the  further  end  of  the  room, 
but  as  he  paused  and  wiped  the  cold  perspiration 
from  his  face,  a  woman's  voice  in  soft,  sad,  sweet 
tones  echoed  through  the  room,  and  with  a  startled 
horrified  expression  upon  his  face,  which  instantly 
changed  from  its  sickly  saffron  to  a  deathly  ashen 
hue,  he  clasped  his  hands  together  in  an  attitude 
expressive  of  despair  and  exclaimed  in  a  low  fright- 
ened tone : 

"My  God!    Aurelia!" 

"I  have  come  to  see,"  said  mad  Aurelia,  "if  this 
is  indeed  my  William,  my  husband,  who  lies  here 
dead.  My  brother  Sol  said  last  night,  that  William 
Barnes,  my  husband  was  dead,  but  I  could  not  be- 
lieve it,  for  he  was  so  young  and  strong,  so  full  of 
warm,  rich  blood  and  of  buoyant,  joyous  life,  that 
even  the  Angel  of  Death  would  pause  and  weep  to  see 
him  die.  No,  he  is  not  dead,  for  only  two  nights 
ago  we  sat  together  in  the  deep  shadow  of  the  myrtle 
upon  the  rustic  seat  on  the  lawn  at  my  home,  and 
whispered  to  each  other  sweet  confidences  with 
many  precious  words  of  endearment,  coupled  with 


Jlurelia's  Startling  Accusations.      103 

vows  of  eternal  constancy;  and  the  stars  twinkled 
and  winked  their  pleased  approval  of  our  lovemak- 
ing,  and  the  zephyrs  joyfully  fluttered  the  soft 
green  leaves  above  our  heads;  and  the  moonlight 
came  glimmering  down  between  the  swaying 
branches  and  joyfully  danced  in  golden  circles  upon 
the  soft  green  sward  beneath  our  feet.  We  had  been 
married  months  before,  but  Mother  and  Sol  did  not 
know  it,  and  we  kept  the  sweet  secret  between  us, 
because  they  were  opposed  to  our  marriage  and  I 
was  not  quite  of  age.  But  yesterday  was  my  birth- 
day, my  glorious  day  of  emancipation,  and  my  hus- 
band was  to  have  come  and  taken  me  to  his  home, 
and  we  were  to  have  had  a  grand  wedding  and  a 
joyous  remarriage,  but  he  did  not  come,  for  Brother 
Sol—" 

By  a  tremendous  effort  Sol  Miserleigh  had  forced 
his  way  through  the  crowd  and  grasping  Aurelia 
rudely  by  the  shoulder,  he  said  to  her  in  a  husky 
tremulous  voice:  "Hush  Aurelia!  Be  quiet!  Stop 
talking!"  Then  addressing  the  people,  awed  into 
painful  silence  by  the  sad  revelations  of  mad  Aurelia, 
he  said: 

"Good  people,  this  is  my  insane  sister.  Her  mind 
is  a  total  wreck;  she  is  wholly  irresponsible  and  her 
words  are  but  the  weird  imaginations  of  a  mind 
wholly  diseased.  I  beg  you  to  make  way  that  I  may 
remove  her  from  the  house." 

"Not  yet,  not  yet!"  said  mad  Aurelia  dreamily, 


104  Joshua  Humble. 

"no,  not  yet!  I  must  first  see  who  it  is  that  lies 
dead  here,"  and  she  pushed  his  hand  from  her 
shoulder  with  considerable  violence,  approached  the 
head  of  the  casket,  and  looked  down  upon  the  face 
of  the  dead. 

"Why !  Why !"  she  said  in  a  tone  of  intense  re- 
lief accompanied  by  a  low  hysterical  laugh,  "why 
this  is  an  old  man!  At  least  middle-aged!  See  his 
gray  hairs  and  the  wrinkles  on  his  forehead  and 
cheeks !  My  husband  is  young  and  beautiful  and 
much  smaller  than  this  corpse,  and  yet  it  iooks  like 
my  William  grown  old.  Ah,  it  must  be  the  corpse 
of  his  father!  Why,  I  remember  now,  he  was  mur- 
dered down  by  the  lake  over  yonder!  Yes,  yes, 
this  is  the  body  of  William's  father  I" 
£  "Come,"  said  Sol.  Miserleigh,  in  a  tone  which 
sounded  like  a  wail  of  agony,  and  again  placing 
his  hand  upon  her  shoulder,  even  more  rudely  than 
before,  "Come,  Aurelia,  let  us  go  home!" 
fc-  "Yes,  Sol, '  she  answered  writhing  with  pain 
under  his  grasp.  "Yes,  Brother,  I  will  go  now  for 
I  am  satisfied.  But  why  did  you  say  that  my  hus- 
band is  dead,  when  you  knew  it  to  be  false?  and  so 
I  came  here  only  to  look  upon  the  face  of  his  father 
whom  you  murdered.  But  it  is  just  like  you  to  talk 
that  way  simply  to  grieve  me.  Ah  you  are  a  heart- 
less, cruel  brother,  always  plotting — plotting,  and 
you  never  pray.  Ah !  I  remember  now  why  my 
husband  did  not  come  yesterday  to  take  me  to  our 


Karelia's  Startling  Accusations.      105 

beautiful  home!  Was  it  yesterday?  It  seems  much 
longer  ago  than  that ;  now  that  I  think  of  it,  it  seems 
like  an  age — an  eternity  of  years  of  anguish!"  \ 

"Come !"  repeated  Miserleigh  fiercely,  grasping 
her  by  both  arms  behind  and  rudely  endeavoring  to 
push  her  through  the  crowd  toward  the  main  en- 
trance; but  again  she  shook  herself  free  from  his 
grasp,  and  facing  him  said  in  a  defiant  tone  as  her 
eyes  flashed  indignantly: 

"Yes,  I  will  go  Sol  but  first,  here  before  all  these 
people  I  want  to  know  why  you  poisoned  my  hus- 
band's mind  against  me  by  impeaching  my  chastity, 
and  then  why  did  you  permit  the  demons  to  carry 
away  my  children,  my  beautiful  twins,  and  William's 
children  also,  half  mine,  half  his — to  steal  them  from 
my  arms  while  I  slept  last  night ;  why  did  you  wrong 
me  so?  cold,  cruel,  heartless  brother !" 

Sol  Miserleigh  again  laid  his  hand  upon  her 
shoulder,  but  Judge  Prye  stepped  hastily  to  his  side 
and  said  in  a  cold  stern  tone  of  command:  "Take 
your  hand  from  her  shoulder  Miserleigh !  I  will  con- 
duct her  from  the  house.  You  will  go  with  me 
madam?"  he  added  gently,  addressing  Aurelia. 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  replied  with  child-like  simplicity, 
"yes,  I  will  go  with  you,  for  you  have  a  kind,  good 
face  and  will  conduct  me  safely  to  my  home;"  and 
she  followed  him  quietly  out  of  the  mansion,  and 
was  placed  in  a  carriage,  and  accompanied  by  Sol 
Miserleigh  and  Judge  Prye  was  driven  rapidly  away. 


106  Joshua  Humble. 

"What  does  this  mean,  Miserleigh?"  asked  Judge 
Prye  sternly  as  the  carriage  dashed  swiftly  along  the 
street. 

"Nothing,  absolutely  nothing!  She  is  hopelessly 
insane,"  was  the  hesitating  reply  in  a  feeble  voice. 

"I  am  not  as  crazy  as  you  think,  Sol.,"  said 
Aurelia,  angrily,  and  then  addressing  Judge  Prye  in 
a  sofe  beseeching  tone  she  said:  "Good  friend, 
will  you  kindly  see  my  husband,  William  Barnes,  and 
tell  him  that  I  am  and  always  have  been  good  and 
pure,  and  that  I  fondly  love  him,  and  that  I  go  every 
day  and  every  night  and  kiss  the  ground  where  his 
feet  once  trod,  and  kiss  the  seat  where  he  last  sat 
by  my  side  out  on  the  lawn  beneath  the  myrtle?" 

"Yes,  if  you  do  not  first  see  him,  Aurelia,  I  will 
meet  him  'when  this  mortal  shall  put  on  immortal- 
ity' and  I  will  faithfully  deliver  your  message,"  re- 
plied Judge  Prye  feelingly. 

At  that  moment  the  carnage  halted  at  the  front 
gate  of  the  Miserleigh  residence  and  Sol  assisted 
Aurelia  to  alight  and  as  she  sauntered  dreamily  away 
up  the  paved  walk  toward  the  front  entrance,  Judge 
Prye  said  to  Sol  Miserleigh : 

"As  you  doubtless  know,  I  have  been  William 
Barnes'  attorney  and  general  business  representa- 
tive for  many  years.  It  therefore  becomes  my  duty 
to  investigate  the  matters  of  which  your  sister  talks 
in  a  manner  so  rationally.  That  is  all  I  wish  to  say 
now,  and  I  bid  you  good  day." 


Karelia's  Startling  Accusations.       107 

Then  the  carriage  was  rapidly  driven  to  the 
Barnes  residence  where  Judge  Prye  found  the  casket 
already  in  the  hearse  and  the  cortege  ready  to  start. 
An  hour  later  the  procession  entered  the  cemetery, 
the  casket  was  lifted  from  the  hearse  and  placed 
over  the  open  grave.  Then  the  beautiful  Episcopal 
burial  service  was  read,  a  brief  eloquent  prayer  was 
uttered,  and  all  that  remained  in  this  world  of  William 
Barnes  was  lowered  into  the  bosom  of  "mother 
earth"  and  covered  up  forever  from  mortal  sight. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  CONFIDENCE  MAN'S  VlETUOUS   RESOLUTION. 

"What  was  it  that  Joshua  Humble  said  to  you?" 
was  the  pointed  and  abruptly  inquiry  of  Samuel 
Slick  of  George  Langdon  as  the  carriage  in  which 
they  were  seated  rolled  away  from  the  lodgings  of 
the  latter,  on  the  morning  of  the  death  of  William 
Barnes,  leaving  Joshua  Humble  standing  upon  the 
pavement  in  an  attitude  of  eloquent  appeal. 

"Oh,  nothing  very  especial,  certainly  not  of  in- 
terest to  you  Mr.  Slick,  a  mere  private  matter  be- 
tween Mr.  Humble  and  myself,"  replied  Langdon, 
coloring  slightly. 

"Ah,  I  beg  pardon,"  continued  Slick,  "but  you 
see  my  boy,  Mr.  Humble  is  rather  inquisitive  some- 
times, and  I  did  not  know  but  he  might  have  been 
saying  something  not  very  complimentary  of  me, 
for  the  truth  is  he  does  not  feel  very  friendly  toward 
me,  because  I  am  rather  too  flashy  to  correspond 
with  his  ideas  of  what  a  young  man  should  be.  On 
the  other  hand,  while  I  do  not  always  treat  Mr. 
Humble  with  the  respect  and  deference  which  his 
age  and  accomplishments  ought  to  command,  be- 
cause he  reprooves  and  snubs  me  when  I  am  rudely 

(108) 


A  Virtuous  Resolution.  109 

jovial,  (for  which  I  am  not  wholly  responsible,  be- 
cause it  is  my  nature  to  be  so),  at  bottom,  I  esteem 
him  very  highly  for  he  is  an  upright,  honest,  old 
gentleman,  the  very  soul  of  honor,  and  I  have  often 
wondered  why  he  remains  in  Miserleigh's  employ 
and  endures  his  abuse,  and  grinds  himself  down 
under  the  hardest  and  most  wearisome  toil  for  a 
mere  pittance.  Mr.  Humble  is  a  man  of  fine  intelli- 
gence, and  is  cultivated  and  refined  in  the  highest 
degree,  and  under  favorable  circumstances  might 
have  become  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  the  city. 
But  somehow,  long  ago,  Miserleigh  got  a  grip  on 
him,  and  so  to  speak,  has  been  slowly  strangling 
him  to  death.  I  have  heard  that  the  residence  in 
which  Miserleigh  now  lives,  once  belonged  to  Mr. 
Humble,  and  by  some  hook  or  crook  (probably  by  a 
very  crooked  crook)  Miserleigh  hooked  him  out  of 
it,  and  crooked  himself  into  it,  and  in  the  process 
of  hooking  and  crooking,  Mr.  Humble  not  only  lost 
his  home  and  his  entire  fortune,  which  Miserleigh 
absorbed  as  quickly  and  easily  as  a  sponge  takes  up 
water,  but  also  lost  his  personal  liberty,  and  ever 
since  has  been  Miserleigh's  slave  in  all  but  name." 
"It  was  the  common  gossip  on  the  streets  twenty 
years  ago,  when  I  was  a  gutter  urchin,  blacking  boots 
and  sellings  newspapers,  that  Joshua  Humble,  the 
ex-stockbroker,  had  become  Miserleigh's  dog  and 
wore  his  collar.  Why,  Miserleigh  is  merely  Humble's 
successor  in  business,  except  the  money  lending 


110  Joshua  Humble. 

part  of  it  which  Miserleigh  added  and  which  is  in  fact 
the  source  of  the  largest  profits  of  his  business.  He 
loans  small  amounts  to  impecunious  people  at  the 
rate  of  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  per  cent  per 
annum,  secured  by  mortgage  on  personal  property, 
such  as  household  effects;  and  many  a  poor  family 
he  has  left  without  even  a  bed  to  sleep  on  or  a  stove 
in  which  to  build  a  fire,  in  mid-winter.  Humble  was 
a  stockbroker  twenty-five  years  ago,  and  occupied 
the  same  office  where  Miserleigh  now  holds  forth; 
and  somehow  Miserleigh  got  a  twist  on  him  in  a 
business  way,  in  the  stock  market  I  presume,  and 
in  a  financial  sense  twisted  the  very  life  out  of  him, 
and  not  only  so,  but  he  got  some  other  twist  on 
him,  something  invovling  Humble's  personal  honor 
and  integrity.  For  fifteen  years  I  have  been  trying 
to  find  out  what  it  is,  and  have  never  been  able  to 
discover  the  slightest  clew  to  it  until  yesterday,  and 
then  by  the  merest  accident." 

"You  interest  me  very  much,  for  what  you  have 
said  concerning  Mr.  Miserleigh  and  Mr.  Humble  is 
all  news  to  me,"  said  Langdon.  "I  have  known  both 
gentleman  all  my  life.  Mr.  Miserleigh,  simply  by  sight 
and  reputation  and  Mr.  Humble  quite  intimately,  and 
I  esteem  him  very  highly,  while  on  the  other  hand  I 
have  always  feared  Mr.  Miserleigh.  I  have  always  re- 
garded him  as  a  very  cold,  calculating,  selfish  man 
quick  to  take  advantage  of  and  to  profit  by  another's 
misfortunes,  but  I  did  not  even  dream  that  he  would 


Jl  Virtuous  Resolution.  Ill 

come  down  to  the  level  of  a  common  robber  as  he 
seems  to  have  done  in  his  dealings  with  Mr. 
Humble." 

The  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  arrival 
of  the  carriage  at  the  railway  depot,  and  ten  minutes 
later  they  were  seated  in  the  train  traveling  east- 
ward at  the  rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour.  As  they 
journeyed,  they  were  both  ill  at  ease,  especially  Sam 
Slick  who  paced  the  aisle  of  the  car  almost  con- 
stantly, went  out  on  the  platform  at  every  station 
and  promenaded  the  entire  length  of  the  train  even 
into  the  baggage  car.  He  bought  capdy  and  fruit  of 
the  news  agent,  and  gave  it  to  some  dirty  and  ragged 
emigrant  children  in  the  smoker;  scraped  acquaint- 
ance with  a  long  nosed,  pockmarked  widow  in  weeds 
in  the  ladies'  coach  and  joked  with  and  flattered  her 
for  amusement,  but  finally  tiring  of  her  foolish  sim- 
pering, he  went  again  into  the  smoker  and  exchanged 
anecdotes  with  the  jolly  news  agent  and  finally 
dropped  into  a  conversation  with  a  grizzled  old  gran- 
ger with  manure  on  his  boots  and  hayseed  on  his 
clothing  and  in  his  hair  and  beard,  concerning  the 
cultivation  of  turnips  and  potatoes  and  the  breeding 
and  raising  of  hogs. 

Again,  becoming  weary  of  his  ineffectual  efforts 
to  "kill  time"  and  divert  his  mind  from  some  dis- 
agreeable subject,  he  returned  to  the  coach  where 
he  found  young  L,angdon  poring  over  a  newspaper 


112  Joshua  Humble. 

and  turning  its  pages  nervously,  evidently  not  read- 
ing understandingly. 

After  exchanging  a  few  commonplace  remarks 
with  Langdon  he  passed  on  into  the  smoking  com- 
partment, sat  down,  lighted  a  cigar  and  gave  way 
to  a  train  of  reflections  from  which  he  had  been  vainly 
endeavoring  to  escape.  These  were  his  thoughts : 

"I  have  known  this  boy  only  about  three  years 
and  yet  when  I  look  upon  his  face,  it  is  strangely 
familiar,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  I  must  have  known 
him  in  his  early  childhood — at  least  he  bears  a  strong 
resemblance  to  someone  whom  I  have  known  in- 
timately when  I  was  a  gutter  urchin.  He  is  the  ex- 
act counterpart  of — of — who  on  earth  does  he  so 
srikingly  resemble?  I  cannot  remember  and  yet  I 
ought  to  recollect  easily,  for  whoever  it  was,  was 
very  near  and  dear  to  me — ah,  Great  God!  how 
could  I  have  forgotten  her?  George  Langdon  is 
the  exact  image  of  my  poor  lost  Valentina!" 

"Now  I  understand  why  I  have  never  been  able 
to  look  upon  that  boy's  innocent  and  honest  face 
without  experiencing  a  thrill  of  pleasure — an  almost 
irresistible  desire  to  be  near  him.  I  have  resolutely 
fought  down  that  impulse,  and  have  almost  hated 
myself  for  indulging  in  it  even  for  a  moment.  How- 
ever, the  explanation  is  easy  now,  and  I  am  glad  to 
have  at  last  unraveled  the  mystery." 

"And  Sol  Miserleigh  has  charged  me  with  the 
task  of  corrupting  his  young  soul;  of  plunging  him 


SI  Virtuous  Resolution.  113 

4  •'  •        'V 

into  a  vortex  of  debauchery  and  crime;  of  robbing 
him  of  his  fortune  and  casting  him  adrift  upon  the 
world  a  hopeless  human  wreck !  Merciful  saints ! 
The  very  thought  is  a  monsterous  crime !  The  very 
Devil  himself  would  violate  his  contract  with  Miser- 
leigh  if  brought  to  such  a  test,  and  bad  as  I  am,  I  am 
neither  a  burglar,  a  common  thief  nor  a  murderer, 
and  I  will  not  be  a  party  to  the  commission  of  all 
these  crimes  in  one,  and  especially  upon  an  innocent 
and  defenceless  boy  whom  I  cannot  but  lovel" 

"It  is  fortunate,"  he  thought  almost  aloud,  that 
I  preserved  these  written  instructions  of  Sol  Miser- 
leigh,  for  with  this  as  unimpeachable  evidence  of  his 
criminal  proceedings  in  this  matter,  in  my  possession, 
I  have  him  wholly  within  my  power  if  he  dares  to 
indulge  in  any  retaliation  upon  me  for  my  failure 
to  carry  out  his  scheme  of  robbery,  debauchery  and 
ruin  against  this  boy." 

At  this  juncture  the  train  stopped  at  the  dinner 
station  and  throwing  out  of  the  window  a  cigar  which 
he  had  just  lighted,  he  went  to  where  Langdon  was 
seated,  and  arm  in  arm  they  walked  out  to  dine, 
chatting  pleasantly  together,  Slick  putting  forth  his 
best  efforts  to  please  and  amuse  his  companion. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
SAD  MEDITATIONS  OF  Two  TRAVELERS. 

The  afternoon  was  dreary  and  uneventful  to  the 
travelers,  being  an  exact  counterpart  of  their  ex- 
perience of  the  forenoon  after  their  departure  from 
St.  Louis,  each  endeavoring  to  amuse  himself  inde- 
pendently of  the  other,  and  each  failing  in  the 
attempt  most  miserably.  And  so  the  time,  in  languid 
spiritless  flight  passed  wearily  on  from  hour  to  hour, 
and  the  train  went  grinding  along  the  rails  of  steel 
with  many  meanings  and  complainings  like  human 
distressful  voices,  and  rain  splashed  threateningly 
upon  the  windows,  and  poured  in  sheets  from  the 
roofs  of  the  cars,  and  dead  leaves  fell  in  showers 
from  the  trees  as  snowflakes  fall  upon  the  earth  in 
mid-winter;  and  the  dying  grass  on  the  meadows 
drooped  lower,  and  the  cold  wind  whistled  «and 
moaned,  and  all  natrue  seemed  to  be  sinking  down 
into  the  dread  vortex  of  death. 

To  Langdon,  it  seemed  as  though  the  day  would 
never  end,  and  a  sad,  sickening^  sensation  crept  into 
his  heart  as  he  gazed  at  the  dreary  landscape  through 
the  falling  raindrops  and  listened  to  the  grinding 
of  the  wheels  of  the  cars,  and  his  thought  went  sadly 

(114) 


Meditations  of  Two  Travelers.        115 

backward  to  his  dear  home  and  to  the  kind  old  man 
whom  he  called  uncle,  and  he  experienced  many 
pangs  of  regret  because  of  the  foolish  and  to  him, 
heinous  act  of  sin  and  folly  which  had  brought  him 
to  his  deplorable  condition — that  of  a  fugitive  from 
Justice — and  his  tender  sensitive  young  heart  was 
overwhelmed  with  emotion  and  he  covered  his  face 
with  his  hands  to  hide  the  hot  tears  which  gushed 
from  his  eyes  and  flowed  down  his  face. 

As  he  sat  there  weeping  silently,  utterly  oblivious 
to  all  that  was  passing  around  him,  he  did  not  hear 
the  footfall  of  Sam  Slick  upon  the  velvet  carpet  of 
the  aisle  of  the  car,  nor  did  he  see  that  usually  rol- 
licking individual  as  he  paused  by  his  side  and  looked 
down  upon  him  with  mournful  pitying  eyes.  A 
moment  only  did  that  person  pause,  and  then  he 
passed  on  to  the  smoking  compartment  of  which  he 
was  the  sole  occupant  at  that  time,  sat  down,  lighted 
a  cigar  and  began  again  to  commune  with  his  own 
thoughts,  puffing  paerly  clouds  of  smoke  from  his 
lips,  which  arose  above  his  head  and  floated  away  in 
waves  and  circles. 

"I  cannot  remain  in  the  presence  of  that  boy  and 
continue  to  be  Sam  Slick,"  he  said  to  himself  in  a 
half  whisper.  "When  he  is  near  me  I  am  Paul 
Dyke  of  old — the  bootblack  and  newsboy  with  a 
good  name  and  a  pure  heart,  ere  the  light  went  out 
from  the  beautiful  eyes  of  dear  little  Valentina  and 
left  me  groping  in  sin  and  despair.  But  I  am  not 


116  Joshua  Humble. 

\ 

yet  wholly  depraved,  for  there  is  a  pure  and  tender 
spot  in  my  heart,  in  which  is  enshrined  the  image  of 
my  beautiful  darling,  and  whatever  there  is  of  good 
in  me  may  be  wholly  attributed  to  the  influence  of 
her  presence  there.  The  question  has  often  come 
to  my  mind,  'What  do  I  live  for?'  and  then  it  has 
gone  flitting  away  leaving  in  its  place  only  the  sad 
answer,  'I  know  not.'  But  now  the  question  comes 
to  me  again  emphasized  a  thousand  fold  and  the 
answer  comes  to  my  soul  in  trumpet  tones,  'to  guard 
that  boy  from  the  awful  perils  of  youth,  and  to  guide 
him  in  the  way  of  truth,  purity  and  honor !' " 

"From  this  moment  I  begin  a  new  life  and  I  put 
the  old  behind  me  forever.  Oh,  spirit  of  my  beauti- 
ful, dead  Valentina!  have  you  returned  to  earth  in 
the  person  of  this  good  boy,  to  exercise  the  power  and 
charm  of  your  pure  and  loving  presence  to  draw  me 
away  from  the  awful  whirlpool  of  sin  and  moral 
degradation,  in  which  I  have  been  helplessly  drift- 
ing since  I  came  within  the  accursed  influence  of  Sol 
Miserleigh?  Why,-  what  have  I  been  doing?  Simply 
working  schemes  which  he  could  not  carry  out  alone 
because  of  his  lack  of  smooth  and  agreeable  speech 
and  because  of  the  positive  and  absolute  repulsive- 
ness  of  his  presence.  Schemes  of  stock  speculation, 
plans  of  peculation  in  many  lights  and  shades,  just 
barely  within  the  realm  of  legal  safety,  but  morally 
the  grossest  of  vulgar  robbery:  I  have  been  for 
him  during  all  these  years  since  I  weakly  yielded 


Meditations  of  Two  Travelers.        117 

to  his  vile  temptation,  his  cat's  paw  to  pull  the  hot 
chestnuts  from  the  fire,  his  all  around  confidence 
man,  to  seduce  the  unwary  and  inexperienced  into 
his  net  to  be  robbed  and  ruined,  and  his  stool  pigeon 
to  divert  attention  and  bear  the  blame  of  his  in- 
iquities. And  now  he  imagines  that  he  has  gotten 
me  so  firmiy  within  his  grasp — so  hopelessly  en- 
tangled within  the  meshes  of  his  criminal  intrigues, 
that  I  dare  not  break  away  from  him." 

"Well,  we  will  see  about  that,  Sol  Miserleigh! 
we  will  see  about  that!  and  if  you  again  attempt 
to  work  upon  me  your  oft-repeated  process  of  in- 
timidation, with  Joshua  Humble  as  a  brave  and 
faithful  ally,  I  will  hold  you  down  and  press  the  keen 
sword  of  Justice  against  your  throat  until  you  will 
cry  aloud  in  terror  and  piteously  beg  for  mercy!" 

The  passing  of  the  transfer  and  baggage  check- 
man  through  the  train  warned  him  of  their  near 
approach  to  the  city  and  throwing  into  the  spittoon 
his  half  consumed  cigar  he  stepped  out  of  the  smok- 
ing compartment  and  joined  L/angdon  at  his  seat. 
He  was  much  gratified  to  find  that  the  young  man 
had  recovered  his  equanimity  and  cheerfulness  and 
engaged  him  in  light  and  amusing  conversation  until 
the  train  rolled  into  the  Union  Depot  in  a  great  city, 
from  which  they  took  a  carriage  direct  to  a  hotel,  and 
after  supper  repaired  to  their  apartments  which  con- 
sisted of  a  parlor  and  two  sleeping  rooms,  very  hand- 
somely furnished  and  communicating  by  folding 


118  Joshua  Humble. 

doors  which  had  been  opened,  practically  converting 
the  three  rooms  into  one  elegant  and  spacious  apart- 
ment. A  fire  of  coal  had  been  lighted  in  the  grate 
in  the  parlor  merely  to  add  to  its  cheerfulness,  for  the 
rooms  were  heated  by  furnace  and  were  very  com- 
fortable. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
AN  ALLIANCE  OF  FRIENDSHIP. 

"Well,  Langdon,  isn't  this  cozy  and  nice?"  said 
Sam  Slick  as  he  sank  down  gracefully  into  an  easy 
willow  rocker  and  puffed  away  vigorously  at  the 
cigar  which  he  had  lighted  but  a  few  moments  be- 
fore in  the  hotel  rotunda. 

"Yes,"  replied  Langdon  dreamily,  also  seating 
himself  in  an  easy  rocker  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  fire  place  and  gazing  steadily  at  the  yellow  blaze, 
as  it  roared  and  hissed  up  the  chimney.  "Yes,  Mr. 
Slick,  this  is  indeed  delightful,  but  alas,  it  is  not 
home!" 

"Well,  no,"  responded  Slick  with  hesitation.  "It 
is  not  home  to  you,  but  to  me  it  is,  for  all  places 
are  alike  in  that  respect.  My  home  is  wherever  I 
chance  to  be — a  convenient  portable  affair,  my  skin, 
and  whether  I  be  in  America,  Europe  or  Van  Die- 
men's  Land,  like  a  tortoise  my  home  is  always  with 
me." 

"Ah,  how  sad !"  responded  young  Langdon  look- 
ing intently  into  his  face  with  a  grieved  expression 
about  his  mouth. 

Something  in  the  tone  of  Langdon's  voice  thrilled 

(119) 


120  Joshua  Humble. 

Sam  Slick  like  an  electric  shock,  and,  glancing 
quickly  into  the  face  of  the  boy  he  caught  the 
pathetic  expression  of  his  mouth  and  ejaculated  in 
a  voice  of  deep  emotion — "My  God — Valentina !" 

Slick's  emotional  exclamation  startled  Langdon 
who  hastily  arose  and  inquired  anxiously:  "Why, 
Mr.  Slick  what  is  the  matter?" 

"Eh?"  replied  .Slick  in  a  dazed  fashion.  "Eh? 
Why  —  ha  —  ha !  nothing  very  serious  —  only  a 
couple  of  fleas  playing  leap-frog  on  my  back  — 
there !"  Reaching  around  with  one  hand  he  pinched 
the  clothing  on  his  back  vigorously,  in  the  exact  spot 
where  the  merry  invaders  were  supposed  to  be  at 
that  moment.  "There !"  he  repeated  as  he  moved  his 
shoulder  up  and  down,  "I  think  they  are  done  for  — 
at  least  I  don't  believe  they  will  be  able  to  renew 
the  game  this  evening." 

Slick's  droll  and  bungling  attempt  to  be  funny 
impressed  Langdon  as  exceedingly  comical  and  he 
laughed  heartily;  but  his  quick  perception  enabled 
him  to  discern  the  subterfuge  and  aroused  within 
him  a  desire  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  his  companion's 
sudden  and  sensational  emotion.  Slick  also  laughed, 
but  his  voice  sounded  more  like  a  wail  of  anguish 
than  a  human  expression  of  pleasure,  and  his  face 
grew  white  and  he  trembled.  But  Langdon  was  ap,- 
parently  unconscious  of  his  friend's  emotion,  and 
having  resumed  his  seat  before  the  fire,  leaned  back 
in  his  chair  and  continued  to  laugh. 


Jin  Alliance  of  Friendship.          121 

"  'Tis  a  roaring  farce  to  you,  my  boy,"  said  Slick, 
dolefully,  as  he  also  resumed  his  seat  and  began  to 
smoke  his  cigar.  "  'Tis  very  funny,  to  you  doubtless, 
but  to  the  fleas  it  is  a  bloody  tragedy  and  to  me  a 
painful  experience." 

'"Probably,"  said  Langdon,  "the  fleas  emigrated 
from  the  person  of  the  granger  with  whom  you  were 
conversing  on  the  train,  about  how  to  raise  hogs. 
Probably  you  now  realize  that  fleas  are  raised  on 
hogs  and  you  can  so  inform  the  granger  when  you 
again  meet  him.  But  why  did  you  shriek  (Valentina) 
in  a  voice  so  very  emotional?" 

The  question  was  a  poser  to  Slick  who  had 
leaned  back  languidly  in  his  chair  and  with  eyes 
elevated  seemed  to  be  intently  examining  an  ex- 
ceedingly complex  figure  of  the  fresco  work  of  the 
ceiling  in  which  Cupid  was  represented  as  endeavor- 
ing to  inspire  a  mermaid  with  human  impulses  and 
passions.  But  Slick's  silence  and  abstraction  was  only 
momentary — of  just  sufficient  time  for  him  to  re- 
cover his  lost  wits,  and  then  he  straightened  himself 
to  an  upright  position  in  his  chair  and  with  an  ex- 
ceedingly comical  expression  upon  his  face  he  blurted 
out  in  a  drawling  tone : 

"Eh,  why  did  I  call  out  Valentina?  Why  my 
boy,  the  scratching  of  the  fleas  playing  leap-frog  on 
my  back  produced  identically  the  same  sensation 
which  I  experienced  when  I  received  my  first  valen- 
tine from  my  first  sweetheart!" 


122  Joshua  Humble. 

Again  Langdon  burst  forth  in  a  merry  peal  of 
laughter,  and  again  Sam  Slick  settled  back  in  his 
chair  with  an  agonized  expression  upon  his  face, 
which  he  carefully  shaded  with  his  hand.  While 
Langdon  was  laughing  in  childish  glee,  the  soul  of 
Sam  Slick  was  weeping,  for  to  him  the  merry  voice 
of  the  light-hearted  boy  was  a  voice  from  the  grave, 
the  echo  of  sounds  from  lips  which  he  had  often 
kissed  in  holy  reverence  and  pure  affection  —  of  soft 
warm,  rosy  lips  long  since  cold  in  death  and  long 
since  crumbled  into  ashes. 

"Yes,  she  has  returned  to  me  in  the  person 
of  this  dear  boy,"  he  thought  as  he  listened  to  the 
familiar,  musical  trill  of  Langdon's  voice,  as  it  ran 
up  and  down  the  scale  in  gentle  undulations  of  sound 
and  died  away  in  a  musical  ripple.  "Yes,  she  has 
returned  to  me  thus  and  the  good  Lord  has  brought 
us  together  under  circumstances  which  will  unite 
us  firmly  for  life  in  bonds  of  true  affection,  and  may 
God  help  me  to  watch  over  and  to  guard  him  from 
dangers  and  from  evil!" 

Finally  young  Langdon  stopped  laughing  and 
after  exchanging  a  few  commonplace  remarks  with 
Slick,  said  to  him  quite  seriously: 

"My  dear  Mr.  Slick,  you  are  certainly  a  very  joy- 
ous soul  and  I  feel  quite  sure  that  we  will  become 
good  friends.  But  tell  me  truly,  is  Sam  Slick  your 
real  name?  I  ask  this  question  because  the  name 
seems  not  suited  to  your  handsome  form  and  face, 


Jtn  Alliance  of  Friendship.  123 

to  your  pleasant  and  cultivated  manners — to  your 
genial  and  affectionate  disposition  and  to  your  noble 
and  generous  nature.  I  do  not  like  the  name,  for  it 
is  suggestive  of  trickery  and  fraud,  and  I  would  re- 
joice to  know  that  it  is  not  yours  by  right,  and  to  be 
able  to  address  you  by  some  other  and  more  appro- 
priate name." 

Sam  Suck  did  not  reply  immediately  to  Langdon's 
blunt  inquiry,  but  sat  perfectly  motionless  in  his 
chair  and  looked  steadily  into  the  fire.  Although  to 
a  close  observer,  he  would  have  seemed  to  be 
slumbering  lightly,  for  he  breathed  like  one  who 
has  just  dropped  into  a  gentle  doze,  in  reality 
he  was  wide  awake  and  his  mind  was  in  a  state  of  in- 
tense activity.  All  the  more  interesting  scenes  and 
incidents  of  his  checkered  life  passed  with  lightning- 
like  rapidity  before  his  mental  vision,  and  in  memory 
he  lived  again  the  life  of  an  abandoned  child  in  a 
great  city ;  of  a  youth  with  only  the  education  of  ex- 
perience of  the  street ;  of  attendance  at  night  school 
while  he  sold  newspapers  and  blacked  boots  for  a 
livelihood  during  the  day;  of  his  natural  inclination 
to  do  right;  of  his  pure  and  joyous  association  with 
Valentina,  and  of  the  respect  for  and  confidence  in 
him  of  all  classes  of  people  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact ;  of  the  coming  of  the  tempter  in  the  person 
of  Sol  Miserleigh;  of  his  gradual  descent  from  his 
high  moral  position,  and  the  consequent  changing  of 
his  riame,  in  accordance  wth  Miserleigh's  sugges- 


124  Joshua  Humble. 

tion.  All  this  passed  through  his  mind  in  a  flash,  so 
quickly  indeed  that  his  abstraction  and  delay  in 
answering  was  scarcely  noticed  by  the  anxious  and 
earnest  inquirer  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  fire.  All 
this,  and  then  with  a  quick  movement  Sam  Slick 
took  the  cigar  from  his  mouth,  blew  out  a  cloud 
of  white  fragrant  smoke,  and  turning  toward  Lang- 
don  and  looking  him  full  in  the  face,  replied  gravely 
as  he  cast  the  cigar  into  the  fire. 

"No,  my  dear  boy,  Sam  Slick  is  not  my  correct 
name.  It  was  assumed  by  me  for  business  reasons 
at  Miserleigh's  suggestion  soon  after  I  became  as- 
sociated with  him  in  business.  Not  that  I  have 
been  guilty  of  any  wrong  doing,  necessitating  a 
change  of  name  to  conceal  my  identity,  but  it  was 
simply  a  freak  of  Miserleigh's  which  I  thought  best 
to  humor  at  the  time,  and  I  am  now  glad  that  I  did 
so,  as  it  may  serve  me  a  very  good  purpose  in  future 
by  enabling  me  as  far  as  may  be  to  blot  out  the  record 
of  the  past  and  begin  life  anew.  My  dear  boy,  my 
correct  name  is  Paul  Dyke." 

With  an  exclamation  of  intense  gratification  Lang- 
don  hastily  arose  from  his  chair  and  went  over  to 
the  side  of  his  companion,  placed  one  hand  gently 
upon  his  head  and  the  other  upon  his  shoulder  and 
said  affectionately: 

"My  dear  friend,  I  knew  that  that  horrid  name 
with  its  vile  alliteration  could  not  be  your  own  ex- 
cept by  adoption,  and  I  am  rejoiced  to  find  that  my 


Alliance  of  Friendship.  125 

impression  was  absolutely  correct.  Dyke  —  Paul 
Dyke,  that  is  a  beautiful  name,  so  smooth  and 
euphonious.  Dyke  means  a  strong  barrier  raised  to 
stop  floods  and  it  signifies  a  strong  and  steadfast 
protector.  I  feel  that  you  are  all  that  your  noble 
name  implies  and  I  give  you  my  confidence  and 
affection  freely  and  joyfully !  Let  us  be  friends  and 
stand  together  if  need  be  against  the  world;  let  us 
be  honorable,  pure  and  just  and  life  will  indeed  be 
worth  living.  My  dear  friend,  discard  that  name  ab- 
solutely henceforth  and  be  your  own  brave,  true  self. 
Let  us  both  from  this  night  live  life  anew  and  put 
the  past  behind  us  forever.  Paul,  will  you  join  me  in 
that  high  and  noble  resolve?" 

"Yes,  yes,  God  help  me!"  It  was  all  that  he 
could  say  for  his  heart  was  full  and  his  voice  was 
gone,  and  so,  with  a  simple  grasping  of  hands  and 
a  voiceless  adieu,  each  retired  to  his  own  apartment 
to  think  over  the  many  strange  events  of  the  day, 
and  amid  the  darkness  and  silence  of  night  to  evolve 
new  plans  for  the  future  and  then,  "to  sleep— per- 
chance to  dream." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
"HAIKLIP"  BROWN'S  BRUTE  COMPANION. 

On  a  narrow  paved  street  in  the  south-eastern 
portion  of  the  city  was  a  large  building  of  rough 
limestone,  consisting  of  two  stories  and  a  basement. 
It  had  been  constructed  for  storage  purposes  and 
had  been  so  used  for  many  years,  but  it  had  subse- 
quently been  remodeled  and  converted  into  a  tene- 
ment house  of  ten  apartments  of  three  rooms  each 
and  had  been  occupied  by  the  poorest  of  the  poor 
of  that  wretched  quarter.  But  the  owner,  finding 
it  impossible  to  collect  his  rents  and  becoming  weary 
and  disgusted  with  being  compelled  to  eject  there- 
from by  legal  process,  a  dozen  or  more  families 
every  month,  and  being  unable  to  rent  the  building 
for  any  other  purpose,  locked  and  boarded  up  the 
doors  and  windows  and  abandoned  it  altogether  to 
wharf  rats  and  pigeons.  Eventually,  however,  the 
building  and  ground  became  the  property  of  heirs 
and  was  sold  at  auction  to  Sol.  Miserleigh  for  a  mere 
pittance  compared  with  its  original  cost  and  actual 
value. 

To  all  appearances  the  premises  were  wholly  un- 
occupied, but  nevertheless  there  were  tenants  in  the 

(126) 


"Hairlip"  Brown's  Companion.      127 

three  rear  basement  rooms,  although  the  fact  was  un- 
known to  any  living  soul  except  themselves,  Sol 
Miserleigh  and  one  other  person.  The  former  owner 
had  inclosed  with  a  tight,  strong  and  high,  board 
fence  the  entire  space  in  the  rear  comprising  about 
thirty  feet  in  depth  by  the  entire  width  of  the  build- 
ing, so  that  people  passing  along  the  alleyway  were 
unable  to  discover  the  presence  of  tenants  and  no- 
body would  have  suspicioned  the  fact,  as  the  gate 
had  been  nailed  up  very  securely  with  strong  iron 
spikes  after  the  former  owner  had  ejected  the  few 
remaining  tenants. 

Apparently  the  building  could  not  be  entered 
except  by  violence,  and  yet  the  fact  remained  that 
the  lone  tenants  of  the  basement  went  in  and  out 
at  all  times  of  night  without  experiencing  the  slight- 
est difficulty,  through  an  underground  passage-way 
from  an  old  cistern  in  the  back  yard,  to  another  old 
cistern  in  the  back  yard  of  the  adjoining  premises  on 
the  west  side,  also  owned  by  Sol.  Miserleigh  and  oc- 
cupied by  Jacob  Blum  for  the  storage  of  old  iron 
and  rags. 

The  three  rooms  were  very  comfortably  furn- 
ished, the  two  smaller  as  sleeping  apartments,  and 
the  other  immediately  in  the  rear  end  of  the  base- 
ment for  all  other  purposes  of  living.  These  rooms 
were  occupied  by  three  men,  and  it  is  but  truth  to 
say  that  they  were  villians  in  all  which  that  word 
implies,  their  occupation,  burglary,  being  pursued 


128  Joshua  Humble. 

-  * 

as  much  for  the  satisfaction  of  securing  by  stealth 
that  to  which  they  had  neither  moral  nor  legal  right, 
as  for  the  gain  which  they  derived  therefrom.  To 
them  their  occupation  was  a  science,  and  each  ad- 
venture contemplated  was  a  separate  problem  re- 
quiring a  different  method  of  solution.  Hence  while 
they  were  not  scientists  in  the  common  acceptation 
of  the  term,  they  were  nevertheless  very  scientific 
in  the  execution  of  their  work,  which  was  always 
conducted  upon  the  triangle  plan,  namely:  two  to 
guard  and  one  to  work,  in  imitation  of  the  great 
Napoleon  in  his  military  operations. 

The  chief  of  this  gang  of  precious  rascals  was 
Hairlip  Brown,  a  man  of  powerful  frame  and  gigan- 
tic stature,  with  a  large  head  covered  by  a  dense 
growth  of  coarse  black  hair,  and  a  face  of  rugged 
prominent  features  covered  nearly  up  to  the  eyes 
with  a  heavy,  wiry  black  beard,  which  failed  to  hide 
the  horrible  expression  of  his  mouth,  occasioned  by 
a  cleft  upper  lip  and  jaw.  His  two  "pals"  or  pro- 
fessional partners,  Lafe  Steel  and  Amos  the  Fox, 
were  slim,  light  men,  very  strong  active  and  courage- 
ous. It  must  not  be  inferred  that  because  these  men 
were  ruffians  they  were  either  rough  or  uncouth  in 
speech  or  manners,  for  on  the  contrary  they  were 
singularlv  polished  and  suave  in  language  and  de- 
portment, for  they  had  originally  been  circus  men 
and  had  acauired,  to  the  very  point  of  perfection  the 
elegance  and  fluency  of  speech,  the  gracefulness  of 


"Hairlip"  Brown's  Companion.      129 

gesture  and  poise  of  body,  which  people  of  that 
profession  acquire  so  quickly  and  so  thoroughly. 

It  was  late  at  night,  or  rather  very  early  in  the 
morning,  probably  about  two  o'clock,  and  the  noisy 
turbulent  crowd  of  human  wrecks  which  always 
floated  up  and  down  that  street  after  nightfall,  had 
each  found  a  resting  place  somewhere,  and  no  sound 
broke  the  stillness  save  the  occasional  echo  of  the 
footsteps  of  a  belated  reveler,  or  the  startling  whir  of 
a  police  rattle  and  its  distant  responses.  Hairlip 
Brown  was  alone  in  the  living  room  of  his  quarters 
and  sat  before  a  fire  of  blazing  coal  in  a  grate,  and  at 
his  feet  on  a  soft  Turkish  rug  lay  a  large  white  sav- 
age-looking bull  dog,  the  silent  intelligent  and  faith- 
ful guardian  of  the  premises.  The  others  had  gone 
out  as  usual,  sigly,  to  reconnoitre  a  prospect  for 
plunder  and  were  not  expected  to  return  until  near 
daylight  and  Brown  had  been  reading  a  book  ex- 
planatory of  circus  and  gambling  tricks  and  devices 
in  which  he  had  become  much  interested;  but  as  the 
night  wore  away  and  the  chickens  in  the  neighbor- 
hood began  to  crow,  he  put  down  the  book,  leaned 
back  in  his  chair  and  dropped  into  a  gentle  doze. 

During  the  night,  the  rats,  which  swarmed  every- 
where in  the  building  except  in  the  three  occupied 
rooms  from  which  they  were  held  in  abeyance  by 
the  bull  dog,  had  been  restless  and  turbulent  at  in- 
tervals, rushing  here  and  there,  up  and  down,  shriek- 
ing and  squeaking  and  then  relapsing  into  silence 

w 


130  Joshua  Humble. 

and  then  renewing  the  uproar,  much  to  the  annoy- 
ance of  the  two  occupants  of  the  rear  room  in  the 
basement,  especially  to  the  bull  dog,  who  when  the 
rodents  became  excessively  demonstrative  would 
rouse  from  his  slumber,  open  his  eyes,  gnash  his 
teeth  savagely  and  growl  in  a  fierce  and  threatening 
manner. 

A  long  interval  of  quietness  and  the  monotonous 
ticking  of  a  clock  on  the  wall  which  sounded  like 
the  pattering  of  horses  feet  on  a  race  course  at  full 
speed,  had  served  to  lull  to  repose  both  man  and 
beast,  when  suddenly  another,  and  if  possible  more 
violent  uproar  occurred  among  the  rats,  which 
aroused  the  sleeping  man  who  awoke  with  a  sudden 
start,  and  disturbed  the  sleeping  dog  who  sprang 
to  his  feet  and  snapped  and  snarled  viciously. 

"You  don't  like  it,  Brave !"  said  Brown  to  the 
dog  in  a  tone  of  annoyance;  "you  don't  like  it,  old 
boy,  and  neither  do  I.  What  do  you  say  to  clean- 
ing 'em  out?  You're  spoiling  for  a  fight,  I  see,  for 
your  eyes  are  red  and  you  look  ugly.  Shall  we  have 
a  scrap  with  them  —  a  regular  jamboree,  Eh  ?" 

Brave,  who  had  crouched  upon  his  haunches  at 
his  master's  feet  looking  wistfully  upward  into  his 
face  with  an  expression  of  wonderful  brute  intelli- 
gence, raised  his  right  foot  and  placed  it  upon  his 
master's  knee,  elevated  and  lowered  his  nose  slightly 
in  a  motion  resembling  a  nod,  and  uttered  a  sound 
between  a  growl  and  a  bark  which  very  much  re- 


"  Hairlip"  Brown's  Companion.      131 

sembled  a  human  voice  saying:  "All  right,  old 
chum,  sail  in,  I'm  ready!" 

"So  you  want  to  clean  'em  out,  Brave,  do  you?" 
inquired  Brown  in  a  tantalizing  tone,  "you  want 
to  clean  'em  out,  Eh?"  and  in  response  the  dog 
placed  his  other  foot  upon  Brown's  other  knee  and 
raised  himself  until  his  nose  was  almost  upon  a  level 
with  that  of  his  master's  eyes  and  again  uttered  a 
peculiar  growl  which  sounded  very  much  like :  "You 
bet  I  want  to  clean  'em  out !  You  bet !" 

"Well,  well  old  boy  you  shall  have  a  scrap,  a 
regular  pitched  battle,"  said  Brown,  laughingly, 
"we'll  teach  that  noisy  fighting  rabble  that  there  is 
such  a  virtue  as  decency,  even  among  rats." 

The  word  "rats,"  uttered  in  a  whirring  rasping 
voice,  aggravated  Brave  into  a  condition  of  great 
nervous  excitement,  and  he  rushed  around  the  room 
smelling  and  snuffing  along  the  cracks  between  the 
floor  and  base  boards,  and  into  the  corners  and  un- 
der the  furniture  and  finally  stationed  himself  close 
to  a  spot  on  the  floor  covered  with  a  small  piece  of 
sheet  iron  and  fixing  his  gaze  intently  upon  it  stood 
quivering  from  excitement  awaiting  his  master's  or- 
der to  battle. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

MISEKLEIGH'S  ROOKERY. 

In  the  mean  time  while  the  uproar  of  the  rodents 
was  simply  deafening,  Brown  had  risen  from  his 
chair,  taken  down  a  violin  which  hung  on  a  string 
looped  over  a  nail  on  the  wall,  tightened  and  rosined 
the  bow  and  screwed  the  strings  into  tune,  and  then 
stamping  his  foot  upon  the  floor  to  attract  the  at- 
tention of  the  rats  who  instantly  paused  in  their  wild 
orgies,  doubtless  anticipating  an  attack  from  some 
invisible  enemy,  he  stepped  over  to  where  th.e  dog 
crouched  upon  the  floor  in  an  attitude  of  assault, 
and  removed  the  piece  of  sheet  iron  which  worked 
upon  a  slide,  disclosing  a  small  hole  which  had  been 
gnawed  through  the  floor  by  rats.  Then  he  placed 
a  flat-bottomed  chair  in  the  center  of  the  room, 
stamped  again  with  his  foot  upon  the  floor,  placed 
the  violin  against  his  left  breast  and  shoulder,  pressed 
his  chin  down  upon  it  to  hold  it  firmly  in  position,  and 
with  a  swift  graceful  upward  and  outward  movement 
of  his  right  arm,  he  dropped  the  bow  gently  down 
upon  the  strings,  and  the  instrument  answering  to 
the  touch  gave  forth  a  sudden  wail  of  soft,  sweet 
harmony.  .Up  and  down  the  scale  it  ran,  hither  and 

(133) 


Miserteigh's  Rookery.  133 

thither,  here  and  there,  rippling,  trilling  and  vibrat- 
ing in  soft  harmonious  waves  of  sound,  finally  end- 
ing in  a  gentle  quiver,  and  then  a  dashing  sweep  like 
the  final  blast  of  a  bugle  in  battle  sounding  a  charge ; 
then  he  paused  and  listened  while  he  gazed  intently 
at  the  hole  in  the  floor  near  which  the  bull  dog  was 
crouched  like  a  panther  prepared  to  spring  upon  its 
prey. 

"Look  out  for  Carlo  and  Cora,  Brave,  don't 
hurt  them  old  boy,  for  we  couldn't  keep  house  with- 
out the  darlings,"  said  Brown  to  the  dog  in  a  low 
tone  of  admonition,  and  then  he  again  placed  the 
violin  in  position  against  his  shoulder,  drew  the 
bow  gently  over  the  strings,  ran  up  and  down  the 
sacle  in  soft  gushes  of  melody,  and  then  with  a  few 
shrill  piercing  notes  like  a  bugle  call  to  "boots  and 
saddles,"  and  then  a  brief  pause,  he  inclined  his  head 
a  little  more  toward  his  left  shoulder,  elevated  the 
end  of  the  fiddle  bow  slightly  and  with  a  quick  sweep- 
ing outward  movement  brought  it  down  upon  the 
strings  of  the  instrument,  and  dashed  away  upon 
"The  Devil's  Dream." 

The  music  was  soft,  quick,  harmonious  and  thrill- 
ing, and  its  effect  upon  the  rodents  was  wonderful. 
First,  a  white  nose  appeared  within  the  hole  in  the 
floor,  then  a  white  head  and  finally  out  sprang  a 
large  rat  with  fur  as  soft  as  silk  and  as  white  as  snow, 
quickly  followed  by  another  rat  a  trifle  larger,  and 
^black  and  glistening  as  jet.  Immediately  they  arose 


134  Joshua  Humble. 

upon  their  hind  feet,  like  trained  dogs  with  their  fore 
paws  drooping  at  the  first  joint,  and  began  moving 
around  in  circles  close  together  and  always  facing 
each  other  like  plantation  negroes  at  a  hoedown. 

Their  gyrations,  gestures  and  grimaces  were  ex- 
tremely comical  and  Brown  laughed  and  chuckled  as 
they  went  whirling  around  in  exact  time  with  the 
music,  and  even  the  dog  seemed  highly  amused  as 
with  ears  erect  and  eyes  fixed  intently  upon  the  hole 
in  the  floor  he  indulged  occasionally  in  sidelong 
glances  toward  them,  and  grinned  in  imitation  of  a 
human  smile  revealing  two  rows  of  glittering  sharp 
white  teeth.  The  dog  and  the  dancing  rats  were 
Brown's  pets  and  had  been  trained  and  exhibifed 
together  by  him  in  a  side  show  of  a  circus  in  which 
he  appeared  as  a  Samson  balancing  heavy  weights 
and  toying  with  cannon  balls ;  consequently  the  ani- 
mals were  companions  and  friends,  and  the  rodents 
in  their  circlings  fearlessly  capered  around  and  over 
the  dog  who  diligently  continued  his  watch  without 
paying  the  slightest  heed  to  the  bobbing  puppets. 
Now  they  were  upon  his  back,  now  between  his 
forepaws  within  six  inches  of  his  mouth,  now  creep- 
ing under  his  belly  and  squealing  complainingly  be- 
cause of  the  scant  space;  now  pulling  away  at  his 
ears  with  their  forepaws  and  then  at  his  tail  like 
sailors  hauling  in  a  cable  on  ship-board  and  then 
whirling  away  together  upon  their  hind  feet. 

Finally,  in  the  very  midst  of  their  revels,  a  loud, 


Miserteigh's  Rookery.  135 

shrill,  screeching  and  scratching  sound  issued  from 
the  hole  in  the  floor  and  the  next  instant  a  large 
brown  rat  sprang  out  througk  the  opening  and  was 
caught  in  mid  air  and  crushed  between  the  vice-like 
jaws  of  Brave,  and  cast  aside  stone  dead  in  a  twink- 
ling. Then  came  another  rat  and  still  others  in 
quick  succession,  each  sharing  the  fate  of  its  prede- 
cessor, while  the  uproar  within  the  hole  was  some- 
thing terrific,  those  in  advance  evidently  having  be- 
come alarmed  and  desiring  to  retreat  but  being 
pushed  forward  to  certain  death  by  their  music- 
charmed  companions  far  in  the  rear. 

All  over  the  building  there  was  a  rushing  sound 
of  many  tiny  feet  like  the  pattering  of  rain  drops 
upon  an  iron  roof.  It  was  a  swift  gathering  of  hosts 
of  fierce  and  dangerous  foes  to  the  lone  inhabitants 
of  the  basement,  and  they  came  on,  squirming  up- 
ward through  the  opening  in  the  floor  like  the  swift 
rush  of  water  through  a  fire  hose,  and  the  noble  dog 
piled  up  the  slain  around  him  on  every  side  and 
pawed  them  away  with  his  feet,  while  with  unerring 
precision  he  caught  and  crushed  them  as  they 
leaped  into  the  room  through  the  opening,  his  red 
eyes  gleaming  fiercely  and  his  jaws  dripping  with  the 
blood  of  his  victims.  Finally,  seeing  that  the  dog 
was  beginning  to  tire,  Hairlip  Brown  began  playing 
slower  and  still  slower,  lower  and  still  lower  in 
tone,  until  the  violin  gave  forth  a  low  wailing  sound 
like  the  distant  notes  of  a  funeral  dirge. 


136  Joshua  Humble. 

The  effffect  upon  the  surging  mass  of  rats  in  the 
hole  underground  was  simply  magical ;  instantly  they 
ceased  to  issue  from  the  opening,  and  those  in  front, 
imitating  the  sound  of  the  violin,  it  was  taken  up  in 
regular  order  by  those  in  their  rear  and  echoed  back- 
ward along  the  line  like  soldiers  repeating  commands 
in  battle,  until  everywhere  throughtout  the  building 
there  was  sounded  a  plaintive  wail  of  sorrow  and 
defeat. 

The  effect  upon  the  two  trained  rats,  Carlo  and 
Cora,  was  quite  as  marked  as  upon  their  wild  com- 
panions, for  they  instantly  ceased  their  waltzing 
movements  and  climbed  up  the  legs  of  the  chair 
and  did  not  cease  their  upward  fight  until  they 
reached  the  shoulders  of  Hairlip  Brown,  where  they 
crouched  flown  trembling  close  to  his  ears  and 
whined  piteously.  Then  Brown  with  a  few  loud  shrill 
notes  upon  his  violin,  like  bugle  blasts  recalling  a 
charging  column  of  troops  in  battle,  stepped  down 
from  his  perch  on  the  chair  and  returned  his  violin 
to  its  place  on  the  wall,  and  then  taking  hjs  pets 
from  his  shoulders  he  caressed  and  talked  to  them 
a  few  moments  and  finally  placed  them  gently  on  the 
floor.  Instantly  they  scampered  away  and  down  into 
the  hole  to  rejoin  their  less  favored  companions, 
and  to  relate  to  them  the  thrilling  incidents  of  the 
bloody  fray.  Then  Brown  carefully  replaced  the 
strip  of  sheet  iron  over  the  opening  in  the  floor,  and 
removed  the  slain  in  a  basket  to  the  back  yard  v/h-sre. 


Miserleigfi's  Rookery.  137 

he  piled  them  in  a  great  heap,  returned  to  the  room, 
closed  and  bolted  the  door  and  sponged  the  blood 
from  the  dog's  mouth  and  body,  and  after  caressing 
and  complimenting  the  noble  animal,  who  gave  many 
evidences  of  keen  appreciation  of  his  master's  satis- 
faction and  praise,  he  returned  to  his  seat  before  the 
fire,  and  the  dog  returned  to  his  rug,  and  soon  amid 
dead  silence  both  man  and  beast  relapsed  into  pro- 
found slumber,  the  man  dreaming  of  successful  ad- 
ventures of  intrigue  and  robbery,  and  the  beast  of 
other  thrilling  and  bloody  conflicts  and  glorious! 
victories. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
TKATPEBS  OF  MEN  IN  COUNCIL. 

An  hour  they  slept,  while  the  little  Swiss  clock 
upon  the  wall  ticked  out  the  passing  moments,  and 
then,  just  as  its  hands  pointed  to  four,  there  came 
a  gentle  rap  on  the  door.  Then  there  was  a  brief 
pause  and  then  three  raps,  a  pause  and  then  a  single 
rap,  and  silence.  When  the  first  rap  sounded  upon 
the  door,  Brave  sprang  to  his  feet  and  stood  in  a  list- 
ening attitude  as  though  counting  the  raps,  and 
when  the  final  pause  came  he  raised  his  right  foot 
and  brought  it  down  smartly  upon  the  knee  of  his 
slumbering  master.  With  a  violent  start  Brown 
straightened  up  in  his  chair,  rubbed  his  eyes,  glanced 
down  at  the  upturned  face  of  his  faithful  and  silent 
brute  companion,  and  in  an  anxious  tone  whispered 
to  him  the  inquiry:  "What's  the  matter,  Brave? 
what's  up  old  boy?"  In  answer  the  dog  pricked  up 
his  ears,  ruffled  his  back  until  the  hair  stood  upright 
in  a  bristling  row,  and  looking  intently  toward  the 
door  he  wagged  his  head  threateningly  as  though  in 
the  act  of  rending  a  foe  and  brought  his  jaws  to- 
gether like  the  clash  of  a  steel  trap. 

"Ah — ha!    I  see;  somebody  at  the  door,  Eh?" 

(138) 


Trappers  of  Men  in  Council.         139 

said  Brown,  watching  the  dog  intently.  "Who  is  it, 
Brave?" 

In  reply  the  dog  settled  down  upon  his  haunches, 
at  his  master's  feet,  and  raising  his  right  foot  tapped 
him  upon  the  knee  lightly  in  exact  imitation  of  the 
knocks  upon  the  door,  and  then  wagging  his  tail 
vigorously  he  sat  looking  up  into  Brown's  face 
with  an  anxious  impatient  expression  in  his  eyes. 

"Ah!"  said  Brown  in  a  gratified  tone, "all  right  old 
boy,  "we'll  let  him  in,"  and  he  arose  and  went  to 
the  door,  and  without  hesitation  or  a  word  of  in- 
quiry undid  the  fastenings  and  swung  it  open,  and 
Amos  the  Fox  stepped  quickly  into  the  room,  fol- 
lowed by  Lafe  Steele,  Jasob  Blum  and  Sol  Miser- 
leigh. 

The  surprise  of  Hairlip  Brown  at  seeing  so  many 
of  his  companions  enter  at  one  time,  accompanied 
by  Sol  Miserleigh  was  simply  overwhelming,  and 
with  a  muttered  exclamation  of  astonishment  he 
stepped  backward  several  paces  and  raised  his  hands 
in  a  gesture  of  expressive  of  consternation.  By 
special  understanding  between  them,  as  a  precau- 
tionary measure  cleemed  vitally  essential  to  their 
safety,  never  before  had  more  than  one  of  them 
entered  the  premises  at  the  same  time,  and  their 
presence  there  together  seemed  to  portend  some  im- 
minent danger.  Sol  Miserleigh  had  barely  crossed 
the  threshold  when  Brown  pushed  the  door  quickly 
shut,  and  with  trembling  hands  locked  and  bolted  it, 


140  Joshua  Humble. 

and  turning  toward  the  others  was  about  to  demand 
an  explanation  of  the  cause  of  their  appearance  col- 
lectively, when  Steele  placed  his  hand  upon  his 
Shoulder  and  explained  that  they  had  entered  the 
adjoining  inclosure  singly,  and  by  chance  had  met 
there  and  consequently  had  applied  for  admittance 
at  the  same  time.  Then  elevating  his  nose  he  began 
snuffing  the  air  and  looking  around  the  room  in 
search  of  the  cause  of  the  decidedly  pungent  odor 
which  pervaded  the  atmosphere. 

"Rats !"  said  Brown  laughingly,  as  he  observed 
the  expression  of  disgust  upon  the  face  of  Steele, 
"only  rats,  we  had  to  clean  'em  out  again,  and  the 
bodies  of  the  slain  are  piled  in  a  heap  out  in  the 
yard." 

"Yaw-yaw,  dat  ish  vat  I  schdumbled  over,  un 
tought  it  vas  a  fedder  ped!"  ejaculated  Jacob,  at 
which  the  others,  except  Sol  Miserleigh  laughed 
immoderately. 

"And  what  on  earth  brought  you  here  at  this  time 
of  night  Mr.  Miserleigh,"  asked  Brown  anxiously. 
"Surely  something  of  extraordinary  urgency  and  im- 
portance ?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Sol  Miserleigh  as  they  sat  down 
before  the  fire.  "Yes,  a  matter  of  considerable  im- 
portance, and"  glancing  up  at  the  clock)  "I  must  ex- 
plain briefly,  as  it  is  near  daybreak  and  I  must  get 
away  from  here  as  soon  as  possible.  I  went  to 
Jacob's  house  and  brought  him  with  me  that  I  might 


Trappers  of  Men  in  Council.         141 

explain  matters  to  you  collectively.  Now  this  is 
the  situation.  The  circumstances  attending  the 
death  and  burial  of  William  Barnes,  have  disturbed 
and  perplexed  me  greatly  and  I  now  perceive  that  I 
cannot  safely  carry  out  my  original  plans.  In  brief, 
we  cannot  put  out  of  our  way  at  once,  Sam  Slick  and 
Joshua  Humble,  unless  circumstances  are  favorable 
to  a  fatal  accident  to  both  at  different  times  and  in 
widely  different  places.  Slick,  as  you  know,  is  with 
L,angdon  in  Cincinnati.  As  previously  explained  to 
you,  he  knows  too  much  concerning  my  affairs  and 
quite  recently  I  have  observed  in  him  unmistakable 
evidences  of  reformation;  therefore  he  is  a  living 
and  constant  menace  to  me,  and  his  removal  has 
become  an  imperative  necessity." 

"Old  Humble,  since  the  death  of  William  Barnes, 
and  also  influenced  by  the  near  approach  of  the  day 
of  his  release  from  financial  obligations  to  me,  has 
become  very  peculiar  in  his  manner,  and  has  excited 
my  suspicion  that  he  intends  to  betray  me  as  soon 
as  he  is  safely  out  of  my  clutches.  When  aroused 
he  is  a  very  firm  and  resolute  man  and  consequently 
dangerous  to  trifle  with.  I  do  not  know  positively, 
but  I  suspect  that  he  is  conniving  with  old  Prye 
to  ruin  me,  and  I  want  to  throttle  him  effectually 
before  he  can  possibly  accomplish  his  purpose.  If 
I  can  get  these  two  men  out  of  the  way,  I  shall  have 
no  fears  of  old  Prye  and  I  can  manipulate  the  boy 
with  ease.  I  want  to  keep  a  constant  watch  on 


142  Joshua  Humble. 

Humble  from  the  time  he  leaves  my  office  at  night 
until  he  returns  to  it  in  the  morning.  There  will  be 
no  need  to  watch  him  during  the  day  while  at  my 
office  as  he  will  be  powerless  to  harm  me  right  under 
my  eyes.  I  also  want  to  have  Sam  Slick  watched, 
and  as  soon  as  a  favorable  opportunity  presents  itself, 
it  will  be  decidedly  in  order  to  have  him  meet  with  a 
fatal  accident.  The  details  of  the  work  I  leave  wholly 
to  you,  but  begin  at  once,  and  when  you  have  ma- 
tured your  plans  explain  them  to  me  fully  before 
you  begin  in  order  that  I  may  understand  and  if 
need  be  second  all  your  movements.  As  for  your 
pay,  it  shall  be  liberal  and  in  proportion  to  your  suc- 
cess. Give  your  time  wholly  to  my  affairs  until  I  am 
safely  through  my  difficulties,  and  you  will  find  it  far 
more  safe  and  profitable  than  any  other  enterprise 
in  which  you  can  engage.  And  now  I  must  go. 
Report  to  me  through  Jacob  who  can  safely  come  to 
me  at  my  office  or  elsewhere-  at  any  time."  With 
a  final  "Good  morning,  gentlemen,"  he  opened  the 
door  and  passed  out,  leaving  the  four  precious  ras- 
cals in  silent  communion  with  their  own  thoughts. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
A  STRANGE  VISITOR. 

On  a  dark  and  stormy  night,  an  aged  man,  whose 
bowed  and  trembling  form  was  clad  in  rags,  limped 
painfully  along  a  street  in  a  quarter  of  the  city  in- 
habited chiefly  by  laboring  people;  entered  an  alley, 
ascended  a  flight  of  steps  to  the  back  door  of  a 
residence,  tapped  gently  on  the  door  with  his  hand, 
and  then  leaning  heavily  upon  his  cane,  waited  in 
silence  for  the  coming  of  the  person  whose  foot- 
steps he  could  hear  within.  A  few  moments  later, 
Joshua  Humble  with  a  lamp  in  his  hand  opened 
the  door  and  said  in  a  surprised  though  kind  voice, 
"Well  my  good  man,  what  do  you  wish?" 

"I  am  cold,  weary  and  hungry,"  replied  the 
stranger  in  a  loud  shrill  voice,  "and — " 

"And  such  a  wretched  night,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Humble  sympathetically.  "Well,  come  in,  my  good 
man  and  we  will  endeavor  to  make  you  comfort- 
able." As  the  stranger  entered,  Mr.  Humble 
closed  and  bolted  the  door,  and  as  he  turned  around 
to  invite  his  vistor  to  follow  him  into  the  sitting 
room  where  a  glowing  fire  of  coal  in  a  grate  gave 
an  air  of  coziness  and  comfort  to  the  room,  he  stag- 

(143)         * 


144  Joshua  Humble. 

gered  backward  in  amazement,  for  there  before  him 
stood  Judge  Prye,  holding  in  his  hand  a  snow-white 
wig,  and  an  old  wool  hat. 

"Merciful  Saints !"  ejaculated  Mr.  Humble,  hold- 
ing up  his  disengaged  hand  in  astonishment,  "merci- 
ful— "  but  Judge  Prye  with  a  quick  gesture  checked 
his  further  speech,  and  silently  entered  the  sitting 
room,  and  as  the  Judge  glanced  quickly  around  and 
observed  that  the  window  curtains  were  all  down,  he 
turned  to  Mr.  Humble  and  asked: 

"Have  you  a  watch  dog?" 

"Yes,  one  with  whom  it  is  not  safe  to  trifle." 

"Can  you  put  him  outside  without  being  discov- 
ered?" 

"Yes,  through  the  side  basement  window." 

"I  would  advise  you  to  do  so  at  once,  as  your 
house  is  being  watched  both  front  and  rear." 

"Watched?"  queried  Mr.  Humble  with  surprise. 
"Watched?  and  pray  by  whom — and  for  what  pur- 
pose ?" 

"That  I  will  explain  after  you  have  put  that  dog 
outside,  and  you  cannot  do  so  too  soon,"  replied 
Judge  Prye  in  a  decisive  tone  which  was  almost  a 
command,  and  as  without  further  speech,  Mr.  Hum- 
ble hurried  out  of  the  room  to  comply  with  his  sug- 
gestion, Judge  Prye  hastily  removed  his  wet  and 
tattered  outer  garments,  and  when  Mr.  Humble  re- 
turned, he  found  him  seated  complacently  before 
the  fire  dressed  in  his  usual  every  day  apparel,  evi- 


A  Strange  Visitor.  145 

dently  enjoying  the  warmth  and  comfort  of  the 
room.  As  Mr.  Humble  drew  a  chair  near  the  fire, 
and  was  in  the  act  of  sitting  down  upon  it,  he  was 
startled  by  the  savage  growl  of  the  dog  immediately 
under  the  front  window,  and  the  sound  of  retreating 
footsteps,  and  hastening  into  the  hall,  he  quickly 
opened  the  front  door,  and  observed  a  man  in  rapid 
flight  turn  the  corner  of  the  street  half  a  square  dis- 
tant with  the  dog  in  close  pursuit  snapping  savagely 
at  his  legs.  Closing  the  door,  he  returned  to  the 
sitting  room,  and  was  describing  what  he  had  seen, 
when  there  was  a  rushing  sound  in  the  alley  in  the 
rear  of  the  building,  accompanied  by  a  fierce  snarl 
of  the  dog,  and  then  again  the  echoes  of  fleeing  foot- 
steps. 

"That  will  settle  them  for  the  present,  and  doubt- 
less for  the  night,"  observed  Judge  Prye  with  a  smile 
expressive  of  amusement  and  gratification,"  and  I 
may  now  explain  the  object  of  my  visit  without  fear 
of  being  overheard  by  Miserleigh's  spies." 

"Miserleigh's  spies?"  echoed  Mr.  Humble. 

"Whom  your  dog  has  put  to  flight,"  responded 
Judge  Prye.  "The  truth  is,  Mr.  Humble,  I  have 
earnestly  desired  a  conference  with  you  for  several 
days  past,  but  could  not  contrive  a  way  to  accom- 
plish it  without  Miserleigh's  knowledge,  which  I 
especially  desired  to  avoid.  I  neither  dared  to  send 
for  you  nor  to  meet  you  on  the  street  and  I  was 
really  at  my  wits  ends.  But  when  it  began  to  rain 

[10] 


146  Joshua  Humble. 

tonight,  I  conceived  the  idea  of  coming  here  in  dis- 
guise, and  remembering  that  there  was  an  old  suit 
of  clothes  in  my  tool  house  belonging  to  my  gardener, 
I  went  out  and  drew  them  on  over  my  other  cloth- 
ing, found  a  stick  for  a  cane,  and  at  once  began  my 
pilgrimage.  My  first  intention  was  to  enter  here  by 
the  front  door,  but  as  I  hobbled  along  the  street 
half  a  square  distant,  I  observed  a  man  standing 
under  the  gas  light  just  across  the  street  from  your 
front  door  whom  even  at  that  distance  I  recognized 
as  one  of  Miserleigh's  blood  hounds,  and  making  a 
detour  of  the  block,  I  came  in  by  the  rear  entrance. 
As  I  entered  the  alley,  I  observed  a  man  standing 
within  twenty-five  feet  of  your  rear  door,  who  as  I 
advanced,  retreated  slowly  before  me,  and  as  I 
knocked  on  the  door,  I  observed  that  he  halted  and 
listened,  and  that  most  positively  confirmed  my  sus- 
picions, which  is  the  reason  why  I  spoke  in  a  loud 
tone  and  in  such  piteous  accents,  when  you  opened 
the  door/' 

"And  now,  concerning  the  object  of  my  visit:  I 
have  lived  in  St.  Louis  about  eighteen  years,  and  first 
formed  your  acquaintance  about  fifteen  years  ago. 
During  the  past  five  years,  I  have  known  you  quite 
intimately,  and  have  been  utterly  unable  to  under- 
stand how  it  could  be  possible,  that  a  man  of  your 
fine  intelligence  and  excellent  culture,  of  your  large 
and  varied  experience  in  all  of  the  avenues  of  busi- 
ness, could  be  in  daily  association  with  Sol.  Miser- 


A  Strange  Visitor.  147 

leigh  under  any  circumstances.  Of  course,  I  cannot 
but  conclude,  nay,  I  know,  as  positively  as  it  is  pos- 
sible to  conceive  without  possessing  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  all  the  facts,  that  you  are  not  his  will- 
ing accomplice.  In  the  first  instance,  your  associa- 
tion with  a  man  of  his  character  under  any  circum- 
stances is  a  matter  of  wonder  to  me,  to  say  nothing 
of  your  continuance  in  his  service  in  a  very  obscure 
position,  for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years ;  therefore 
I  readily  comprehend  that  there  must  be  some  reason 
of  vital  importance  for  the  existance  of  such  a  con- 
dition, of  a  noble  human  life  being  deliberately  wreck- 
ed, and  yet  not  making  the  slightest  effort  to  save 
itself  though  the  means  of  self-preservation  are  easily 
within  its  grasp.  I  have  pondered  over  this  matter 
for  years,  and  have  earnestly  endeavored  to  solve 
the  mystery,  in  the  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  ac- 
complish your  emancipation,  and  at  the  same  time 
enable  you  to  escape  Sol.  Miserleigh's  vengeance. 
But  all  of  my  independent  efforts  to  fathom  the 
mystery  have  been  utterly  fruitless,  while  your  con- 
dition has  steadily  been  growing  worse  from  day  to 
day,  until  it  seems  to  me  that  it  must  now  be  simply 
and  utterly  intolerable.  By  careful  inquiry  I  have 
obtained  a  slight  inkling  concerning  your  business 
standing  and  character  before  you  became  associated 
with  Miserleigh,  but  that  information  which  I  reject 
as  unreliable  is  founded  chiefly  upon  the  feeble  re- 
collections of  old  men — very  tame  and  gossipy  re- 


148  Joshua  Humble. 

miniscences  and  furnish  not  the  slightest  clew  to  the 
cause  of  your  virtual  enslavenemt.  I  am  thoroughly 
in  earnest  in  my  purpose  to  befriend  you,  and  at  the 
same  time  defeat  the  wicked  machinations  of  a 
scoundrel.  Will  you  not  give  me  your  perfect  con- 
fidence and  permit  me  to  aid  you  in  recovering  your 
personal  freedom,  your  home  and  your  fortune?" 

When  Judge  Prye  began  to  speak  of  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh's  cruel  intrigue,  Joshua  Humble  seemed  slightly 
displeased,  and  as  the  Judge  proceeded  his  face  be- 
came flushed,  and  with  bowed  head  and  folded  arms 
he  sat  mute  and  motionless,  gazing  steadily  upon  the 
carpet  at  his  feet.  He  was  evidently  in  a  condition 
of  great  nervous  excitement,  for  he  trembled  and 
breathed  with  heavy  laborious  respiration  like  one  in 
slumber.  As  Judge  Prye  uttered  the  last  words  and 
paused  for  a  reply,  Joshua  Humble  started  as  though 
suddenly  aroused  from  sleep,  arose  quickly  to  his 
feet,  straightened  himself  to  his  full  height,  and  for 
several  moments  looked  vacantly  upon  the  wall,  ev- 
idently unable  to  command  his  thoughts  or  to  utter 
a  single  word.  His  mind  was  in  a  tumult  of  conflict- 
ing emotions — in  a  condition  of  chaos,  and  he  began 
to  walk  the  floor  and  to  wring  his  hands  and  moan. 
Finally  he  paused  and  pressed  his  hand  to  his  fore- 
head as  though  striving  to  recall  something  to  mem- 
ory, and  then,  as  though  unable  to  collect  his  thoughts, 
he  began  again  to  pace  the  floor  still  wringing  his 
hands.  His  face  grew  white  until  it  assumed  the  dull 


./?  Strange  Visitor.  149 

leaden  pallor  of  the  dead,  and  to  his  eyes  came  that 
awful  fixed  stare  which  is  ever  the  forerunner  of 
mortal  dissolution.  As  he  walked  to  and  fro  like 
a  somnambulist,  Judge  Prye  became  extremely  an- 
xious, evidently  fearing  that  the  mind  of  Joshua 
Humble  had  lost  its  balance,  and  he  arose  and  step- 
ping quickly  to  his  side  placed  his  hand  upon  his 
shoulder  and  said  to  him  in  a  kind  voice :  "My  good 
friend,  try  to  be  calm  and  to  collect  your  thoughts. 
You  are  a  strong,  brave  man,  and  can  surmount  every 
difficulty  that  may  beset  you,  if  you  will  only  ex- 
ercise your  will  power.  See !  it  is  your  friend  who 
stands  before  you — your  faithful  friend,  Andrew 
Prye!" 

"Ah !"  said  Joshua  Humble  dreamily  as  he  turned 
and  looked  into  the  face  of  Judge  Prye,  "Yes,  I 
know — I  know — "  and  then  the  light  of  intelligence 
suddenly  came  back  into  his  eyes  and  he  covered 
his  face  with  his  hands  and  wept  like  a  child,  while 
Judge  Prye  gently  guided  him  back  and  seated  him  in 
his  chair  before  the  fire. 


CHAPTER  XXL 
ME.  HUMBLE'S  STATEMENT  OF  FACTS. 

A  long  interval  of  silence  ensued,  a  silence  ex- 
tremely painful  to  Judge  Prye,  broken  only  by  the 
sobs  of  the  strong  man  seated  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  fire.  But  gradually  the  violence  of  Mr  Hum- 
ble's  emotion  abated,  and  he  arose  to  his  feet,  wiped 
the  tears  from  his  face,  and  said  in  a  natural  voice: 
".The  struggle  is  over,  Judge  Prye,  and  I  have  gained 
a  victory  over  pride.  Permit  me  to  walk  a  few  mo- 
ments to  steady  my  nerves  and  then  I  will  be  the 
Joshua  Humble  of  twenty-five  years  ago,  before  the 
blight  of  Sol.  Miserleigh's  wicked  intrigues  fell  upon 
me  to  poison  my  life  and  to  wreck  my  dear  boy." 
Then  he  began  to  walk  the  floor  with  head  bowed 
and  hands  clasped  behind  his  back.  Ten  minutes 
he  paced  the  floor  with  quick  nervous  tread  which 
gradually  grew  steadier  and  slower  until  it  became 
as  regular  as  the  ticking  of  the  clock.  It  was  the 
firm  elastic  step  of  a  man  conscious  of  his  strength 
and  full  of  hope  and  faith,  and  he  seemed  to  grow 
taller  and  broader  and  stronger  until  he  paused  be- 
fore Judge  Prye  with  clear  eyes,  steady  nerves  and 

(150) 


Mr.  Mumble's  Statement.  151 

calm  face.    He  was  absolutely  handsome  and  his  bear- 
ing was  graceful  and  dignified. 

A  moment  he  stood  in  that  peculiar  position  look- 
ing down  upon  the  face  of  his  friend  and  then  in  a 
firm  natural  voice  he  said  as  he  extended  both  of  his 
hands  to  Judge  Prye :  "God  bless  you,  my  friend ! 
You  have  resurrected  me  from  a  living  death,  and 
you  will  find  me  a  faithful,  discreet  and  courageous 
assistant  in  your  endeavors  to  bring  Sol.  Miserleigh 
to  justice,  and  in  every  other  good  cause.  I  am  in 
the  twilight  of  the  evening  of  life  and  night  is  coming 
swiftly  on,  but  the  day  is  not  quite  ended !" 

Judge  Prye  arose  and  warmly  grasped  the 
hands  of  Joshua  Humble  and  replied:  "Why  my 
dear  friend,  you  are  now  the  man  my  imagination 
has  always  pictured  you  to  have  once  been,  and  I 
am  rejoiced  beyond  measure." 

i  *  With  these  and  many  more  kindly  expressions 
of  mutual  friendship,  Judge  Prye  and  Joshua  Hum- 
ble resumed  their  seats  before  the  fire  and  Mr.  Hum- 
ble said:  v 

"Briefly,  this  is  the  history  of  Sol.  Miserleigh's 
intrigue,  of  which  I  have  been  the  victim :  Twenty- 
five  years  ago,  the  residence  in  which  Sol.  Miserleigh 
now  lives  was  my  property  and  my  home.  My  wife 
was  then  living,  and  we  had  one  son  and  one 
daughter,  the  latter  then  but  five  years  old,  and  my 
son  twenty-two.  I  was  entirely  free  from  debt,  and 
by  the  exercise  of  unusual  prudence  and  by  careful 


152  Joshua  Humble. 

attention  to  business  I  had  accumulated  about  one 
hundred  and  forty-five  thousand  dollars  in  stocks, 
bonds  and  cash.  My  real  estate  holdings  consisted 
of  my  residence,  my  office  building,  and  this  little 
home  which  I  deeded  to  my  widowed  sister  before 
Sol.  Miserleigh  accomplished  my  ruin.  My  business, 
that  of  stock  brokerage,  was  very  safe  and  profitable, 
as  I  never  engaged  in  speculation  on  my  own  ac- 
count, and  after  my  son  Claude  had,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  graduated  from  the  High  School  I  gave 
him  employment  in  my  office  which  was  the  same 
which  Sol.  Miserleigh  now  occupies,  and  carefully 
trained  him  in  my  business,  so  that  when  he  be- 
came of  age,  I  gave  him  a  partnership  in  my  business 
equal  with  myself.  A  year  previous  to  that,  Sol. 
Miserleigh,  who  was  then  a  common  note  broker 
and  the  leaner  of  money  in  small  amounts  on  chattel 
mortgages,  and  who  had  just  begun  to  dabble  in 
stocks,  rented  desk  room  in  my  office,  and  as  I  after- 
wards ascertained  immediately  began  to  poison  the 
mind  of  my  son  by  suggesting  to  him  and  encourag- 
ing him  in  illegitimate  speculations  in  a  small  way, 
which  Miserleigh  manipulated  and  always  reported 
immense  gains,  and  paid  over  to  Claude  his  share 
of  the  profits  with  strict  injunctions  of  secrecy.  This 
speculative  disposition  Miserleigh  carefully  cultivated 
in  Claude,  until  he  attained  his  majority  and  became 
an  equal  partner  with  me  in  my  business,  and  then 
Miserleigh  began  to  lay  his  snares  to  entrap  my  son 


Mr.  Humble's  Statement.  153 

and  to  accomplish  our  financial  ruin  and  absorb  my 
entire  estate.  It  is  a  long  and  painful  story  and  mi- 
nute details  are  unnecessary ;  suffice  to  say  that  with- 
in a  year  and  a  half  from  the  time  when  Claude  be- 
came my  business  partner,  he  had,  without  my 
knowledge  or  slightest  suspicion  encumbered  our 
firm  with  a  debt  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-five 
thousand  dollars,  and  Miserleigh  was  our  sole  cred- 
itor. Furthermore,  Claude  in  a  last  desperate  effort 
to  retrieve  his  misfortunes,  had  added  crime  to  the 
folly  of  his  speculative  ventures  by  forging  the  name 
of  Sol.  Miserleigh  to  a  sixty  days  promissory  note 
and  had  realized  thereon  and  lost  the  entire  amount 
in  a  single  deal  with  Miserleigh." 

"The  first  intimation  I  had  of  anything  wrong  in 
our  affairs  was  the  entrance  to  our  office  of  an 
officer  of  the  law  accompanied  by  Miserleigh  with  a 
warrant  for  Claude's  arrest  upon  a  charge  of  forgery. 
Fortunately  my  son  was  out  in  the  city  at  the  time 
and  consequently  escaped  arrest.  After  the  officer 
had  departed,  Miserleigh  explained  to  me  the  de- 
plorable condition  of  my  financial  affairs,  through 
Claude's  speculations,  and  for  the  moment  I  was 
tempted  to  dash  Miserleigh's  brains  out  with  a  chair, 
but  my  better  judgment  prevailed  in  the  struggle 
within  me,  between  inclination  to  wreak  vengeance 
upon  him  for  his  treachery  to  my  boy,  and  his  sys- 
tematic robbery  of  myself,  and  overwhelming  desire 
to  save  my  son  whom  I  loved  better  than  my  own 


154  Joshua  Humble. 

life,  from  disgrace,  and  so,  I  repressed  my  rage  and 
indignation,  and  locking  the  door  I  held  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh  virtually  a  prisoner  from  noon  until  the  fol- 
lowing morning. 

"During  that  time,  to  me  an  age  of  mental  agony, 
I  endeavored  by  arguments  and  entreaties  to  soften 
Miserleigh's  heart,  and  thereby  avert  disgrace  and 
ruin,  but  with  dogged  persistency  he  held  firmly  to 
his  purpose,  and  finally  I  was  compelled  to  yield  to 
his  demands.  It  was  a  choice  between  my  fortune 
and  my  boy,  and  I  yielded  the  former  to  save  the 
latter ! 

When  I  unlocked  the  door,  just  as  day  was 
breaking,  I  was  utterly  penniless,  having  transferred 
to  Sol.  Miserleigh  everything  of  value  of  which  I  had 
been  in  possession  but  a  few  hours  before,  and  in 
compliance  with  his  demands  had  even  emptied  my 
pockets  and  delivered  to  him  their  contents,  money, 
pocket  book,  watch,  and  even  my  knife  and  he  took 
them  all  with  the  fiendish  satisfaction  of  a  miser 
gloating  over  his  ill-gotten  gains. 

"The  conditions  of  the  compromise  were  the 
transfer  of  all  of  my  property  to  Miserleigh,  which 
was  to  constitute  payment  in  full  of  the  firm's  in- 
debtedness to  him,  except  the  forged  note  which  he 
agreed  to  honor,  and  to  allow  me  to  repay  to  him 
in  installments,  provided  I  would  enter  his  employ  at 
twenty-five  hundred  dollars  a  year.  The  agreement 
as  to  that  was  merely  verbal  (as  otherwise,  as  he 


Mr.  Mumble's  Statement.  155 

urged,  and  tn  which  he  was  correct)  to  have  put  it 
in  writing  would  have  constituted  the  compounding 
of  a  felony  on  his  part  and  when  he  raised  that  point 
of  objection,  I  could  not  of  course  insist  upon  a 
written  agreement,  and  so,  accepting  his  receipt  in 
full  on  account  of  all  other  indebtedness,  I  unlocked 
the  door  and  handed  him  the  key,  and  stepped  forth 
into  the  gray  light  of  day-dawn,  Sol.  Miserleigh's 
Slave ! 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
FBOM  OPULENCE  TO  PEXURY. 

"It  was  a  terrible  fall  from  a  dizzy  height,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Humble,  "and  a  week  later  my  dear  wife 
died  of  a  broken  heart,  and  then  with  only  our  per- 
sonal clothing  we  came  here  to  live  and  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh  and  his  mother  and  sister  stepped  into  our 
home,  Mrs.  Miserleigh,  in  her  fiendish  eagerness  to 
be  sole  mistress  of  the  premises  even  hurrying  our 
dparture." 

"And  now  my  sorrowful  tale  is  nearly  ended, 
for  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  detail  the  terrible 
humiliation  and  suffering  of  my  life  since  then.  It 
is  sufficient  to  say  that  eventually  my  daughter  mar- 
ried and  died  leaving  an  infant  daughter,  and  her 
husband  being  a  shiftless  fellow  went  away,  I  know 
not  where,  leaving  the  child  to  the  care  of  my  sister 
and  myself.  Claude's  life,  though  for  a  time  blasted, 
was  not  utterly  wrecked.  He  did  not  dare  to  remain 
where  Miserleigh  could  reach  him  legally  and  so 
drifted  into  the  far  west,  and  eventually  into  old 
Mexico,  where  for  years  he  worked  in  the  silver 
mines  as  a  common  laborer  and  saved  from  his  wages 

(156) 


From  Opulence  to  Penury.  157 

enough  money  to  enable  him  to  develop  a  very  rich 
mine,  recently,  which  he  discovered  soon  after  his 
arrival  in  that  country.  Every  month  he  has  written 
me  a  long  affectionate  letter,  and  sent  me  a  small 
remittance,  else  we  should  have  suffered  for  the 
common  necessaries  of  life,  and  yesterday  I  received 
from  him  a  draft  on  New  York  for  seven  thousand 
dollars. 

"During  the  first  six  months  Sol.  Miserleigh  paid 
me  promptly  the  salary  he  had  promised,  retaining 
a  certain  sum  per  month  to  apply  in  payment  on  the 
forged  note,  and  then  he  utterly  repudiated  the  agree- 
ment and  cut  my  salary  down  to  one  hundred  dollars 
per  month.  Of  course  I  was  wholly  within  his  power 
and  could  not  but  submit  to  his  terms,  and  so,  at 
intervals  he  has  continued  to  reduce  my  salary,  al- 
ways retaining  a  portion  of  it  to  be  credited  on  the 
note,  until  now  there  remains  but  ten  dollars  of  that 
indebtedness  and  when  that  is  paid  I  shall  be  a  free 
man  if  Sol.  Miserleigh  does  not  concoct  some  other 
villainous  scheme  to  prolong  my  enslavement! 

"Having  an  intimate  knowledge  of  his  business 
affairs  in  every  detail — of  his  roguery  and  pecula- 
tions in  all  their  lights  and  shades,  he  fears  me,  know- 
ing that  I  have  carefully  avoided  all  personal  connec- 
tion with  his  nefarious  schemes,  and  that  I  have  re- 
mained uncorrupted  amid  the  sore  temptations  which 
during  all  these  dreadful  years  he  daily  cast  in  my 
way,  hoping  that  the  pinchings  of  poverty  might  de- 


158  Joshua  Humble. 

grade  my  soul,  and  deliver  me  again  and  for  life  to 
his  enslavement.  Failing  utterly  in  every  attempt 
to  keep  me  within  his  grasp,  and  knowing  that  my 
day  of  emancipation  is  fast  approaching,  it  is  but 
natural  that  he  should  hate  and  fear  me,  and  hence 
the  employment  of  spies  to  watch  my  movements, 
which  fact  my  good  dog  has  demonstrated  to-night." 

Throughout  Joshua  Humble's  recital  of  the  cir- 
cumstances of  Sol.  Miserleigh's  monstrous  crime 
against  him,  and  the  heinous  wrongs  and  cruelties 
which  Miserleigh  had  inflicted  upon  him,  Judge  Prye 
sat  motionless  and  almost  breathless  looking  stead- 
ily— pitying  into  the  grave  and  handsome  face  of  Mr. 
Humble,  and  when  the  sad  story  was  ended,  he  arose 
to  his  feet  trembling  with  excitement  and  indigna- 
tion, and  stepping  quickly  to  the  side  of  his  friend 
he  said: 

"My  admiration  for  you  is  inexpressible.  Yours 
has  indeed  been  a  noble  slavery,  and  none  but  a  good 
man  could  have  passed  through  that  terrible  ordeal 
unscathed!"  Drawing  his  chair  close  to  the  side  of 
his  friend,  Judge  Prye  sat  down  there  and  the  con- 
versation was  continued  late  into  the  night,  during 
which  Joshua  Humble  explained  the  mysterious  dis- 
appearance of  George  Langdon  and  many  other  mat- 
ters of  interest  and  importance,  not  the  least  of  which 
was  the  disappearance  at  the  age  of  two  years  of  the 
twin  children  of  William  Barnes  and  Aurelia  Miser- 
leigh. 


From  Opulence  to  Penury.  159 

"They  were  secretly  and  legally  married  by  a 
magistrate  who  is  still  living,"  he  added  in  conclu- 
sion, giving  the  name  and  address,  "and  who  can 
doubtless  produce  the  record.  You  will  stay  here 
to-night,  will  you  not?" 

'"Yes,"  replied  Judge  Prye,  "I  had  planned  to 
remain  until  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The 
house  will  not  be  watched  after  your  departure  and 
I  can  safely  leave  without  the  disguise  in  which  I 
came.  Go  to  Miserleigh's  office  at  the  usual  hour 
and  conduct  yourself  in  your  accustomed  manner. 
So  continue  from  day  to  day  until  I  notify  you  to 
the  contrary.  I  must  have  time  to  think — to  mature 
plans — to  fortify  our  position  with  facts  which  cannot 
be  controverted.  I  must  have  time  to  mature  a  gen- 
eral plan  of  attack  upon  his  most  vulnerable  point, 
for  he  is  a  wily  and  dangerous  antagonist.  We  must 
make  sure  of  his  capture  and  total  disarmament  at 
the  first  dash  or  he  will  certainly  cheat  the  gallows 
or  the  penitentiary.  Our  trap  must  be  skillfully  con- 
structed, and  if  we  fail  to  entangle  this  snarer  of  men 
within  the  meshes  of  his  own  net  and  draw  him  to 
destruction,  it  will  certainly  be  because  we  are  not 
his  equals  in  shrewdness  and  courage,  for  the  means 
for  its  accomplishment  seem  to  be  already  within  our 
grasp.  If  you  can,  with  entire  safety,  collect  any  fur- 
ther evidence  against  him,  do  so,  and  in  the  mean- 
time I  will  prepare  the  way  for  his  complete  unmask- 
ing." 


160  Joshua  Humble. 

With  the  simple  words:  "It  is  well,"  Joshua 
Humble  conducted  Judge  Prye  to  a  sleeping  apart- 
ment and  kindly  bade  him  good  night,  and  then 
himself  retired  to  rest,  first  kneeling  by  his  bedside 
and  returning  fervent,  heartfelt  thanks  to  God,  for 
his  deliverance  from  bondage,  so  near  at  hand,  and 
for  the  first  gleams  of  the  light  of  a  day  of  happiness 
after  a  long  night  of  years  of  toil  and  anguish. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
OLD  MOTHER  HURT  AT  HOME. 

Mrs.  Sly,  Becky  Falser  and  Jerusha  Snuffer  were 
visiting  old  Mother  Hurt  at  her  home.  It  was  a 
comfortable  and  handsome  brick  dwelling  of  eight 
rooms,  nicely  furnished,  and  was  the  sole  property 
of  Mother  Hurt;  but  sad  to  relate,  its  value  repre- 
sented many  moral  and  legal  offences  of  which 
its  owner  would  have  been  adjudged  guilty  if  brought 
to  trial  therefor  before  any  court  of  justice  in  the 
land. 

Old  Mother  Hurt  was  making  a  bed  quilt,  the 
cover  of  which  consisted  of  many  different  kinds  and 
colors  of  silks  sewed  together.  She  called  it  "a 
crazy  quilt,"  and  indeed  it  was  very  appropriately 
named,  the  design  being  remarkable  chiefly  for  its 
irregularity  and  complexity,  the  beginning  and  end 
of  which  could  not  have  been  easily  discovered.  It 
was  symmetrical  as  a  whole,  but  consisted  of  a  laby- 
rinthian  combination  of  stripes  and  crosses  running 
in  every  conceivable  direction,  each  of  different  color 
and  each  different  also  in  size  and  form,  leaving  the 
impression  upon  the  mind  of  the  beholder,  that  in 

111]  (161) 


162  Joshua  Humble. 

its  construction  the  maker  had  worked  without  a 
plan  or  measure  and  in  accordance  with  varying 
whims  and  fancies. 

This  ingenious  article  of  handiwork  represented 
in  gross  many  days  of  labor — a  few  moments  at 
a  time — during  many  years,  and  that  day,  the 
seventy-fourth  anniversary  of  her  birth,  Mother  Hurt 
had  fixed  as  the  time  for  the  completion  of  that 
antique  specimen  of  her  skill  in  needle  work;  there- 
fore in  celebration  of  two  important  events,  the  finish- 
ing of  her  quilt  and  the  anniversary  of  the  beginning 
of  her  life,  she  had  invited  the  "Three  Graces  of  Satan" 
to  assist  her  in  finishing  the  demented  article  upon 
which  she  had  toiled  so  long.  The  visitors  had  gone 
to  the  residence  of  Mother  Hurt  early  in  the  after- 
noon, and  as  it  was  their  first  meeting  since  the  day 
of  the  funeral  of  William  Barnes,  the  dramatic  inci- 
dents of  that  sorrowful  occasion  were  the  subjects 
uppermost  in  their  minds.  Mrs.  Sly  seemed  ex- 
tremely anxious  to  discuss  the  Barnes — Miserleigh 
scandal  in  minute  detail,  and  made  several  attempts 
to  direct  the  conversation  into  that  channel,  while 
Mother  Hurt  was  equally  as  anxious  to  avoid  its 
discussion  and  hence  the  crazy-quilt  and  matters  of 
ordinary  neighborhood  gossip  occupied  their  time 
and  attention. 

The  abundance  of  sap,  which  always  oozed  from 
the  nostrils  of  Jerusha  Snuffer,  had  been  largely  in- 
creased by  a  recent  cold  which  had  settled  in  her 


Old  Mother  Hurt  at  Home.  163 

head,  and  notwithstanding  her  frequent  wiping  with  a 
large  gingham  handkerchief,  the  crystal  drop  which 
always  clung  to  the  end  of  her  nose  was  much  larger 
than  usual,  that  day,  and  as  it  continually  threatened 
to  fall  upon  and  soil  Mother  Hurt's  sacred  crazy 
quilt,  it  caused  the  old  dame  much  uneasiness  of 
mind;  therefore  when  the  drop  of  nasal  mucilage 
would  sag  down  like  an  inverted  baloon  and  betray 
evidences  of  separation  from  the  end  of  the  spinster's 
scarlet  nose,  Mother  Hurt's  nervousness  greatly  in- 
creased and  she  would  call  out  hysterically:  "Ah — 
ah !  it's  going  to  drop,  Jerusha ;  catch  it  qui — quick, 
before  it  soils  the  quilt !"  at  which  the  spinster  would 
gore  her  weak  watery  eyes  with  her  knuckles, 
elevate  her  nose  and  snuff  back  into  her  nasal  pas- 
sages the  threatening  drop,  without  pausing  in  her 
needle  work  or  her  cackling  gossip. 

Becky  Falser,  having  eaten  a  pickle  after  hav- 
ing taken  a  large  dose  of  calomel,  two  days  previ- 
ously, had  from  necessity,  laid  up  her  talking  apparatus 
for  repairs,  and  Mrs.  Sly,  being  afflicted  with  asthma 
so  that  she  weezed  continually  like  a  wind-broken 
horse,  was  unable  to  do  more  than  suggest  subjects 
for  discussion  between  old  Mother  Hurt  and  Jerusha 
Snuffer;  hence  those  two  interesting  individuals, 
when  not  wrestling  with  the  threatening  drop  on  the 
end  of  the  latter's  nose,  were  uttering  in  hoarse 
croaking  tones,  choice  bits  of  scandal,  each  going  a 
little  further  into  particulars  than  the  other,  until  the 


164  Josuah  Humble. 

subject  was  exhausted  and  another  subject  had  been 
suggested  by  the  ingenious  Mrs.  Sly. 

Each  of  these  four  viragos  was  a  scientific  special- 
ist in  a  different  sphere  of  scandal,  and  unitedly  they 
constituted  a  gratuitous  detective  agency  which  could 
discover  the  true  inwardness  of  all  domestic  mys- 
teries and  miseries  by  the  simple  process  of  putting 
together  this  and  that,  and  by  their  keen  sense  ot 
smell  could  arrive  at  definite  conclusions  concerning 
all  matters  of  individual  honor  and  chastity.  For 
instance:  Mrs.  Sly  was  a  fabricator  of  long  and 
varied  experience  and  marvelous  skill,  an  inventive 
genius  as  a  scandal  monger  without  a  model  and 
without  an  equal.  Becky  Falser  was  extremely 
imaginative  and  could  always  be  depended  on,  not 
only  to  clearly  and  positively  substantiate,  but  to 
greatly  magnify  and  describe  in  minute  detail  all  of 
Mrs.  Sly's  wonderful  discoveries.  Jerusha  Snuffer 
was  extremely  analytical  and  could,  by  a  very  simple 
process  of  logical  deduction  discover  most  complex 
problems  and  could  always  "point  an  appropriate 
moral  to  adorn  the  tale."  Old  Mother  Hurt's  mouth 
was  but  a  network  of  venom  ducts  from  which  ex- 
uded streams  of  false  and  slanderous  words  which 
poisoned  the  very  fountains  of  the  lives  against 
which  they  were  directed ;  and  she  was  very  skillful 
in  the  art  of  wounding  desperately  the  feelings  of 
everybody  with  whom  she  came  in  contact.  It  was 
a  matter  of  record  that  she  had  never  been  known  to 


Old  Mother  Hurt  at  Home.  165 

say  one  kind  or  charitable  word  concerning  any 
human  being  living  or  dead,  and  that  she  could  in- 
dulge in  false  and  cruel  insinuations  even  in  the  very 
presence  of  the  person  alluded  to,  with  an  air  of  such 
perfect  innocence,  and  apparently  so  unpremedi- 
tated, that  they  were  thrown  into  a  state  of  mental 
paralysis  for  the  moment,  and  so  utterly  speechless 
from  rage  thereafter,  that  she  wholly  escaped  their 
just  retalliation.  Furthermore,  unlike  "The  Three 
Graces  of  Satan,"  she  was  an  educated  woman,  and 
her  superior  command  of  language  and  invective 
gave  her  great  advantage  of  them  in  discussion; 
consequently  they  never  presumed  to  differ  with  her 
in  opinions  upon  any  subject.  In  brief,  they  stood 
in  mortal  fear  of  her  cruel,  terrible  tongue,  and  there- 
fore when  she  bowed,  they  wagged  their  heads,  and 
when  she  smiled,,  with  one  accord  they  shouted  in 
boisterous  laughter. 

In  early  life,  Mother  Hurt  had  been  educated  for 
the  practice  of  medicine,  but  her  career  as  a  regular 
physician  was  of  brief  duration  and  eventually  she 
became  a  professional  nurse  of  exceptional  skill  and 
was  always  profitably  employed.  Finally,  when 
younger  woman,  such  as  Mrs.  Sly  and  Becky  Fal- 
ser became  her  successful  competitors  in  that  busi- 
ness, she  abandoned  it  altogether  having  accumulated 
sufficient  means  to  enable  her  to  live  without  labor  in 
ease  and  comfort. 

Tne  Jones,  the  Brown,  the  Thompson,  the  Smith 


166  Joshua  Humble. 

families,  and  indeed  every  other  family  within  the 
range  of  their  extensive  acquaintance  had  been  dis- 
cussed by  Mother  Hurt  and  her  visitors,  and  the 
conversation  lagged  from  want  of  other  subjects,  as 
Jerusha  Snuffer  took  the  last  stitch,  and  as  she 
snorted  back  into  her  yawning  nostrils  the  trembling 
crystal  drop  on  the  end  of  her  nose,  she  said  in  a 
thick  slobbering  voice:  "Well,  women,  the  crazy 
quilt  am  done !"  Mrs.  Sly  and  Becky  Falser  mur- 
mured enthusiastic  congratulations  to  Mother  Hurt, 
who  chuckled  and  simpered  in  girlish  glee  as  she 
folded  up  her  treasure  and  put  it  carefully  away  in 
a  bureau  drawer  just  as  the  servants  announced  that 
"tea"  was  ready. 

Mother  Hurt  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table  and 
poured  the  tea  into  large  china  cups,  and  it  was  very 
strong  and  hot.  At  her  right  hand  sat  Mrs.  Sly, 
at  her  left  Becky  Falser,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  table 
Jerusha  Snuffer  wrestled  with  the  ever-appearing  and 
ever-vanishing  drop  on  the  end  of  her  nose,  and 
smiled  benignantly  upon  the  hostess. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
COMPLETION  OF  A  CRAZY  QUILT. 

For  a  quarter  of  an  hour  this  interesting  com- 
pany attended  strictly  to  the  business  of  eating  and 
drinking,  during  which  only  words  complimentary 
of  the  food  and  tea  were  spoken,  and  then,  the  more 
pressing  demands  of  their  voracious  appetites  hav- 
ing been  satisfied  they  began  to  sip  their  tea  and 
chew  their  food  with  more  deliberation.  Finally,  Mrs. 
Sly  laid  down  her  knife  and  fork,  grasped  her  tea 
cup  by  its  handle,  raised  it  to  her  lips,  sipped  the 
stomach-paralyzing  liquid  slowly  a  moment  and  said : 

"As  I  was  a  sayin'  folkses,  when  Jerusha  was 
workin'  on  the  quilt,  that  Miserleigh  and  Barnes' 
business  is  the  worst  tangled  mess  I  ever  hearn  on." 

Old  Mother  Hurt  turned  and  glared  angrily  in 
into  the  face  of  Mrs.  Sly,  but  the  latter  seemed  wholly 
unconscious  of  the  displeasure  of  the  hostess,  and 
looked  away  toward  the  foot  of  the  table  and  bowed 
three  times. 

"Yes,"  responded  Jerusha  Snuffer  with  a  gulp 
and  a  snort,  "and  that  old  O'Keefe  woman  a  cryin' 
over  the  corpse  and  a  kissin'  it.  Ugh !  It  makes  the 

(167) 


168  Joshua  Humble. 

cold  chills  run  up  my  back  to  even  think  of  touch- 
ing a  dead  body,  specially  with  one's  lips." 

"Oh,  drat  the  O'Keefe  woman  and  the  corpse!" 
retorted  Mrs.  Sly  sharply,  "I  was  a  talkin'  'bout 
Mad  Aurelia  and  old  Bill  Barnes  and  their  kids." 

"I've  hearn  say  that  some  people  think  that  old 
Mother  Miserleigh  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  whole 
difficulty.  She's  a  pizen  old  wretch  and  would  mur- 
der her  own  kin  without  so  much  as  winkin'  her  eyes, 
to  carry  her  pint,"  said  Becky  Falser  suggestively. 

"An*  law  sakes  alive  women !"  said  Jerusha 
Snuffer  with  a  gurgling  snort,  "all  that  ravin'  of  crazy 
Aurelia  'bout  bein'  married  to  Barnes  unbeknown  to 
anybody  'cept  the  magistrate  is  too  funny  for  any- 
thing. Bill  Barnes  never  married  her — no,  not  he; 
and  her  ravin'  'bout  Sol.  and  the  old  woman  accusin' 
her  of  bein'  bad,  to  pizen  Bill  Barnes'  mind  against 
her,  is  all  blather.  Oh,  no !  It'll  take  a  more  reason- 
able story  than  that  to  account  for  the  twins  and  Bill 
Barnes'  failure  to  claim  'em — eh?" 

"Jes'  so!"  responded  Mrs.  Sly  delightedly. 

"And  what  became  of  the  kids  is  what  gets  me, 
and  that  is  what  I  would  like  to  know!"  said  Becky 
Falser,  blubberingly,  as  she  held  a  napkin  to  her 
swollen  and  blistered  mouth. 

"Yes,  that's  the  important  pint,"  wheezed  Mrs. 
Sly. 

"I  hearn  tell  that  old  Mother  Miserleigh  hired 
somebody  to  get  away  with  the  kids  when  they  were 


Completion  of  a  Crazy  Quilt         169 

about  two  years  old,  'cause  Aurelia  was  crazy  a 
mournin'  for  Barnes  and  the  old  woman  didn't  want 
to  be  bothered  with  'em,"  said  Jerusha  Snuffer,  "but 
I  'spect  that's  not  so,  for  sh's  too  stingy  to  pay  any- 
body for  doin'  what  she  could  do  herself;  so  likes  as 
not  she  just  slipped  'em  away — one  at  a  time  and 
dropped  'em  on  the  street  at  night — eh?" 

"Likes  as  not,"  responded  Mrs.  Sly,  gleefully. 

While  this  interesting  conversation  was  in  prog- 
ress, old  Mother  Hurt  wriggled  uneasily  in  her  chair 
and  supped  scalding  hot  tea  with  utter  indifference 
as  to  consequences.  She  was  evidently  very  much 
worried,  and  the  keen  analytical  mind  of  Mrs.  Sly 
fathomed  the  cause  of  her  trepidation  and  deter- 
mined to  encourage  the  others  to  continue  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  Barnes — Miserleigh  mystery  until 
Mother  Hurt  would  be  compelled  to  unload  her 
overburdened  mind  of  secrets  pertaining  thereto, 
which  Mrs.  Sly  had  long  suspected  her  of  possessing. 

"And  likes  as  not  the  old  woman  drownded  'em 
in  the  river?"  added  Mrs.  Sly  questioningly,  bowing 
her  head  toward  Mother  Hurt  with  innocent  assump- 
tion. It  was  a  true  shot  and  went  straight  to  the 
mark,  resulting  in  an  immediate  capitulation,  for  in 
response  to  Mrs.  Sly's  affirmative  inquiry,  old 
Mother  Hurt  elevated  her  chin,  and  wrinkled  her 
nose  and  forehead  and  sneered. 

"And  why  not,  Mother  Hurt?"  persisted  Mrs. 
Sly,  "why  might  not  Mother  Miserleigh  have  slipped 


170  Joshua  Humble. 

the  twins  into  the  river  one  at  a  time?  Surely  she's 
none  too  good,  I'll  be  bound,  and  she  might  easily 
have  got  rid  of  them  in  that  way  without  bein*  found 
out— Eh?" 

"You  talk  nonsense!  Mrs.  Sly,"  replied  Mother 
Hurt  vehemently,  "utter  nonsense !  Old  Mother  Mis- 
erleigh  did  nothing  of  the  kind,  and  I  know  what  I 
am  talking  about — which  is  more  than  you  do,  for 
you  only  guess  while  I  speak  from  experience — 
actual  personal  knowledge.  Now,  woman,  you  have 
been  chattering  foolishness  and  guessing  about  what 
you  can  never  know  even  the  smallest  part,  of  your 
own  knowledge,  because  you  have  only  rambling 
gossip  to  guide  you.  I  don't  like  to  talk  about  the 
Barnes-Miserleigh  affair,  because,  to  me,  it  is  a  very 
unpleasant  subject  and  for  very  good  reasons.  But 
as  you  are  all  my  confidential  friends,  and  as  this  is 
my  seventy-fourth  birthday,  and  as  you  have  helped 
me  finish  my  crazy  quilt,  which  I  have  been  working 
on  for  many  years,  and  as  we  are  all  together  here, 
very  quiet  and  very  comfortable,  and  all  happy  and 
contented  eating  these  good  things  and  drinking  this 
bracing-up  tea,  I'll  tell  you  all  about  the  twins  and 
what  became  of  them,  for  as  I  said  before,  I  know 
what  I  am  talking  about  from  personal  experience. 
But  first  you  must  promise  me  never  to  tell." 

"Never — oh  no!  we'll  never  tell!"  chimed  the 
"Three  Graces  of  Satan,"  as  with  one  voice. 

"But  I'm  particular    about    this,    women,"    re- 


Completion  of  a  Crazy  Quilt.         171 

sponded  Mother  Hurt  dubiously,  "very  particular  in- 
deed, because  I  fear  that  the  Miserleigh's  will  have 
trouble  about  their  dealings  with  Aurelia  and  her 
children,  and  I  don't  want  to  be  mixed  up  in  it.  It 
takes  me  all  the  time  now  to  keep  clear  of  trouble 
on  account  of  other  matters  with  which  I  have  been 
connected,  and  I  don't  want  a  settlement  of  old 
scores  on  the  Miserleigh  account  for  it  is  a  crooked, 
troublesome  business  from  beginning  to  end,  and 
I'm  sorry  that  I  ever  had  anything  to  do  with  it, 
because  it  is  getting  to  be  rather  dangerous  on  ac- 
count of  so  much  being  found  out  about  it,  by  reason 
of  Aurelia's  wailings  over  the  body  of  William 
Barnes.  Everybody  who  heard  her  mournful  story 
believes  it  from  beginning  to  end,  and  they  are  all 
wondering  what  became  of  the  twins,  and  that  has 
caused  me  a  great  deal  of  uneasiness,  because  I 
know  all  about  the  matter." 

"Well,  women,  to  begin  with,  the  first  I  knew  of 
there  being  anything  wrong  with  Aurelia,  and  at 
that  time  I  had  known  her  for  ten  years,  was  one 
night  after  William  Barnes  quit  going  to  see  her, 
old  Mother  Miserleigh  came  to  my  house  alone, 
and  said  that  Aurelia  was  sick — that  she  had  been 
married  to  Barnes  unknown  to  her,  but  that  she 
would  rather  that  Aurelia  would  die  than  be  his  wife, 
and  that  she  and  Sol.  had  succeeded  in  breaking  up 
the  marriage  by  making  Barnes  believe  that  Aurelia 
was  not  of  good  character.  She  wanted  me  to  nurse 


172  Joshua  Humble. 

Aurelia,  and  I  went  with  her  that  very  night  but  found 
the  girl  raving  crazy,  and  that  ailment  I  could  not 
cure.  Well  in  due  time  the  twins  were  born,  and  my 
professional  services  in  that  connection  soon  ended. 
Aurelia  had  been  crazy  several  months,  but  when  the 
twins  were  born  she  recovered  her  reason  sufficiently 
to  realize  what  had  happened  to  her,  and  I  never  saw 
anybody  so  delighted  as  she  was  with  her  children. 
But  she  soon  began  to  mourn  because  Barnes  had 
deserted  her,  and  raved  furiously  at  her  mother  and 
Sol.  for  being  the  cause  of  it,  and  she  soon  lost  her 
reason  again.  However,  she  clung  to  the  children 
and  fought  so  desperately  whenever  we  attempted 
to  take  them  from  her  that  we  were  compelled  to 
abandon  that  scheme  temporarily.  Barnes  knew 
about  the  birth  of  the  children  and  tried  to  get  pos- 
session of  them  in  a  quiet  way,  but  Mrs.  Miserleigh 
foiled  him  and  finally  he  gave  up  the  idea.  The 
children  were  born  on  the  I4th  of  February,  and  it 
was  just  two  years  to  an  hour  from  that  time  when 
we  succeeded  in  slipping  away  one  of  the  children, 
the  boy,  whom  I  took  from  her  side  as  she  lay  asleep 
in  bed.  The  child  was  also  asleep  and  I  brought 
him  here  in  a  carriage  and  went  back  after  the  other 
child,  a  girl.  As  I  entered  Aurelia's  room  she  awoke 
and  discovered  that  the  boy  was  gone  and  before  I 
could  get  beyond  her  reach  she  knocked  me  down 
and  undoubtedly  would  have  killed  me  had  not  Sol. 
and  his  mother  come  to  my  assistance.  Her  grief 


Completion  of  a  Crazy  Quilt.         173 

at  the  loss  of  her  boy  was  simply  terrible.  She  raved 
and  tore  her  hair  and  prayed  and  cursed  and  wept. 
I  shall  never  forget  her  awful  grief.  Well,  as  we 
could  not  get  the  child  away  from  her  we  left  her 
alone  in  her  room,  and  while  we  were  in  the  back 
parlor  talking  the  matter  over,  we  heard  the  front 
hall  door  slam  and  we  hurried  out  just  in  time  to  see 
Aurelia,  dressed  only  in  her  night  clothing,  with  her 
child  in  her  arms  going  swiftly  out  at  the  front  gate. 
The  weather  was  very  cold  and  fine  damp  snow  was 
falling  fast.  Sol  hurried  on  his  overcoat  and  hat. 
My  carriage  was  standing  by  the  pavement  in  front 
of  the  gate,  Sol.  and  I  got  into  it  and  were  driven 
rapidly  in  the  direction  which  Aurelia  had  gone,  due 
westward.  Half  an  hour  afterward  we  found  her  by 
the  roadside,  a  mile  beyond  the  city  limits  nearly 
covered  with  snow  and  apparently  dead,  the  child 
still  clasped  in  her  arms.  We  lifted  her  into  the 
carriage  and  took  her  back  home,  put  hot  bricks  to 
her  feet  and  dosed  her  with  brandy,  and  in  about 
half  an  hour  she  revived,  but  her  memory  was  en- 
tirely gone  —  even  the  recollection  of  her  children 
had  vanished  utterly.  I  took  the  other  child  home 
with  me  that  night  and  on  the  following  day  I 
farmed  them  out  to  an  old  negro  woman,  at  three 
dollars  a  week  each,  telling  her  that  they  were  or- 
phan children  of  poor  people.  For  several  weeks 
I  paid  her  promptly  and  then  irregularly,  and  finally 
not  at  all.  She  was  a  drunken  beast  and  abused 


174  Joshua  Humble. 

the  little  ones  shockingly,  and  one  cold  stormy  day 
they  wandered  away  and  became  separated  from 
each  other  in  the  crowd  on  the  street.  The  boy 
traveled  at  least  a  mile  and  finally  strayed  into  the 
office  of  a  wealthy  man  who  recognized  him,  but  for 
very  good  reasons  did  not  communicate  the  fact  to 
anyone,  but  took  the  child  to  his  home  and  cared  for 
him  as  his  own  child.  But  the  girl  drifted  into  a 
saloon,  one  of  the  lowest  dens  of  the  city,  and  was 
adpoted  as  daughter  of  the  establishment  and  was 
cared  for  by  the  wife  of  the  proprietor.  Aurelia  was 
dangerously  ill  for  more  than  three  months,  but 
finally  regained  her  health  with  her  mind  in  about 
the  same  condition  as  it  was  before  she  lost  her 
children.  Now  women,  I  have  given  you  the  straight 
of  the  story  and  don't  you  even  lisp  it  to  any  living 
soul!" 

"Oh,  never !  of  course  we  won't !"  chimed  the 
"Three  Graces  of  Satan"  in  chorus. 

"But  what  became  of  the  twins  finally?"  wheezed 
Mrs.  Sly. 

"Ah,  yes,"  sputtered  Becky  Falser,  "That's  the 
most  important  pint." 

"They  do  say,"  said  Jerusha  Snuffer  drawing 
back  the  crystal  drop  from  the  end  of  her  nose, 
"that  both  on  'em  went  to  the  bad." 

"Who  says  so?"  demanded  Mother  Hurt  sharply, 
emphasizing  the  inquiry  by  a  blow  on  the  table  with 
her  hand,  which  made  the  dishes  rattle. 


Completion  of  a  Crazy  Quilt.         175 

"Ah,  oh  —  well  —  ah  —  anybody  who  would  think 
about  it  a  minute  would  say  that  they  couldn't  help 
goin'  to  the  bad,"  stammered  the  Snuffer  nervously. 

"Well  they  would  be  dead  wrong,  concerning  one 
of  them,  and  I  know  it !"  replied  Mother  Hurt  bow- 
ing vigorously  toward  Jerusha,  and  glaring  angrily 
upon  her. 

"Ahem!  it's  getting  late — nearly  dark,  I  de- 
clare," said  Mrs.  Sly  rising  hastily,  "and  really  I  must 
hurry  home." 

"And  so  must  I,"  sputtered  Becky  Falser. 
"Really  I  must  go." 

"Why,  how  very  late  it  is  to  be  shore,"  blubbered 
the  Snuffer  tremulously,  glacing  timorously  toward 
the  angry  Hostess.  "I  oughter  ha  bin  home  half  an 
hour  ago." 

And  so,  without  another  word  concerning  the 
Miserleigh-Barnes  affair,  but  with  many  soothing 
compliments  and  congratulations  to  the  hostess,  the 
"Three  Graces  of  Satan"  departed,  each  to  her  own 
home  in  different  directions,  each  building  in  their 
elastic  minds,  huge  mountains  of  fiction  from  the 
atoms  of  fact,  brushed  from  the  crumbling  store- 
house of  the  memory  of  old  Mother  Hurt. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
BARGAIN  AND  SALE  OF  OLD  RAGS. 

Sol.  Miserleigh's  acquaintance  with  Jacob  Blum 
began  in  this  manner: 

Soon  after  old  Jacob  found  Martha  in  the  cellar 
of  the  abandoned  building,  almost  in  a  dying  condi- 
tion, and  carried  her  in  his  arms  to  his  home,  he 
was  driving  his  old  lame  horse,  hitched  to  his  rick- 
ety old  wagon  along  the  street  in  front  of  the  Miser- 
leigh  residence,  and  calling  out  lustily  in  his  rasp- 
ing dialect: 

"Any  old  rags  —  bottles  ?    Any  old  iron  —  rags  ?" 

Mrs.  Miserleigh  heard  his  cry  and  having  a  large 
quantity  of  paper  rags  to  dispose  of,  called  to  him 
from  an  upper  front  window  of  the  mansion  and 
old  Jacob  alighted  from  his  wagon  and  walked 
around  to  the  kitchen  door  to  examine  what  she 
wished  to  sell.  The  old  woman  was  a  shrewd  bar- 
gainer and  haggled  with  Jacob  over  the  gfice  which 
he  offered  for  the  rags,  and  after  much  parleying 
and  many  offers  and  rejections,  a  compromise  was 
effected  and  Jacob  paid  over  the  money  for  his  pur- 
chase. As  he  proceeded  to  tie  up  the  bundle,  he  com- 

(176) 


Bargain  and  Sale  of  Old  Rags.      177 

plained  bitterly  of  his  poverty  with  vehement  earn- 
estness, and  explained  how  he  was  compelled  to 
travel  the  streets  early  and  late,  through  heat  and 
cold,  sunshine  and  storm,  day  after  day,  and  year 
after  year  for  a  meager  subsistence.  He  ended 
his  pathetic  complaint  by  saying  that  he  had  a 
sick  wife  to  provide  for,  and  also  an  orphan  girl 
whom  he  had  found  in  a  nest  of  straw  in  an  old  hogs- 
head in  an  abandoned  cellar,  suffering  from  malarial 
fever  and  had  taken  her  to  his  home. 

Mrs.  Miserleigh,  for  some  reason  which  she  could 
not  have  explained  even  to  herself,  immediately  be- 
came much  interested  concerning  the  child  and  ques- 
tioned old  Jacob  closely  as  to  its  age,  color  of  hair, 
eyes,  complexion  —  and  in  fact  elicited  from  him  a 
minute  description  of  the  girl,  together  with  the  in- 
teresting and  startling  information  that  she  wore  a 
gold  chain  around  her  neck  to  which  was  attached 
a  small  gold  locket,  on  which  was  engraved  her 
name:  "Valentina."  But,  said  Jacob  in  conclusion: 
"She  shall  be  my  daughter  und  I  name  her  Marthe." 

While  Jacob  talked  in  a  whining  tone  and  care- 
fully tied  up  his  bundle,  Mother  Miserleigh  was 
thinking  very  fast.  She  had  unexpectedly  obtained 
a  clew  to  what  she  had  long  and  earnestly  desired 
to  know,  and  she  was  planning  how  she  could  ascer- 
tain to  a  certainty  whether  or  not  her  suspicions 
were  correct,  and  at  the  same  time  keep  Jacob  in 
utter  ignorance  of  her  purpose.  As  he  tied  the  last 

[12] 


178  Joshua  Humble. 

knot  in  his  bundle  her  face  brightened,  for  she  had 
matured  her  plans  in  that  brief  moment,  and  as  he 
lifted  the  bundle  to  his  shoulder  she  said  to  him: 

"What  is  your  name?" 

"Yacob  Blum,"  he  replied  balancing  the  bun- 
dle on  his  back,  and  leering  up  at  her  from  under  the 
brim  of  his  old  Scotch  cap. 

"Where  do  you  live?" 

"On  Biddle  between  Fifth  and  Sixth." 

"You  say  that  you  are  very  poor?" 

"Yaw  Madam,  very  poor." 

"And  you  have  a  sick  wife?" 

"Yaw,  yaw  very  sick." 

"How  long  has  she  been  sick?" 

"Tree  year." 

"And  you  are  not  able  to  employ  a  physician?" 

"Nein,  Madam." 

"I  know  a  lady  physician,"  said  Mother  Miser- 
leigh  reflectively,  "who  is  very  skillful  and  I  will 
send  her  to  attend  your  wife  at  my  own  expense, 
if  you  wish  me  to  do  so.  It  is  a  pity  and  a  shame 
that  anybody  should  suffer  from  want  of  medical 
attendance  in  this  land  of  plenty." 

Jacob  was  not  only  willing  that  Mrs.  Miserleigh 
should  send  the  doctress  to  attend  his  wife,  but  ex- 
pressed his  gratitude  for  the  kind  offer,  and  then 
departed  calling  out  with  renewed  energy  and  vehe- 
mence as  he  mounted  the  seat  of  his  wagon  and  rat- 
tled along  over  the  rough  macadamized  street : 


Bargain  and  Sale  of  Old  Rags.      179 

"Any  old  rags  —  bottles  ?    Any  old  iron  —  rags  ?" 

He  had  not  driven  a  dozen  squares  before  a 
messenger  was  dispatched  by  Mrs.  Miserleigh  to 
Mother  Hurt  and  within  an  hour  thereafter  the  two 
women  were  seated  close  together  in  the  front  par- 
lor of  the  Miserleigh  residence,  talking  in  low  tones 
very  earnestly.  Mrs.  Miserleigh  had  repeated  to 
Mother  Hurt  in  minute  detail  her  conversation  with 
Jacob,  and  in  conclusion  said: 

"And  now,  Mrs.  Hurt,  I  need  not  make  any 
further  explanations  to  you,  for  you  will  readily 
understand  that  I  desire  to  obtain  certain  informa- 
tion of  great  interest  and  value  to  me  and  that  I 
require  your  assistance  in  the  matter.  You  will  visit 
Jacob's  wife  professionally?" 

"Most  assuredly  I  will." 

"And  you  will  continue  your  visits  until  you  ob- 
tain positive  information  concerning  the  gril's 
identity?" 

"With  pleasure,  and  an  interest  second  only  to 
your  own." 

And  then  you  can  pronounce  the  old  wonman's 
case  incurable  when  you  have  attained  your  object 
and  discontinue  your  visits,  with  some  general  in- 
structions as  to  diet,  cleanliness  and  so  forth." 

"Precisely." 

"Well  then,  Mrs.  Hurt,  the  matter  is  settled. 
You  will  go  at  four  o'clock  this  afternoon  when 
Blum  will  be  at  home,  and  do  not  leave  there  until 


180  Joshua  Humble. 

you  have  seen  the  girl  and  obtained  as  much  in- 
formation as  possible  concerning  her,  without  excit- 
ing old  Blum's  suspicion.  You  will  not  need  to  re- 
main there  more  than  an  hour  and  can  return  here 
before  six  o'clock.  Sol.  will  return  home  from  his 
office  at  seven  and  may  ask  some  very  embarrassing 
questions  if  he  finds  you  here.  Go  now,  and  return 
as  soon  as  possible." 

"I  can  return  by  half  past  five,  I  think,"  replied 
Mother  Hurt  as  she  hurried  away. 

Promptly  at  four  o'clock  the  doctress  was  ushered 
into  the  squalid  apartments  of  the  Blum's  family 
which  was  separated  from  Jacob's  rag  store-room 
only  by  a  thin  board  partition  through  which  came 
the  fumes  of  the  filth  which  the  rags  contained,  fill- 
ing the  room  with  a  sickening  odor.  Jacob  met  her 
at  the  door  and  escorted  her  through  a  narrow  pass- 
ageway into  a  dark  bed  room  where  she  found  old 
Leah  bolstered  up  in  bed  and  in  great  agony.  The 
usual  examination  of  the  tongue,  skin,  eyes  and 
pulse  of  the  patient  followed  and  then,  after  a  few 
moments  of  reflection,  Mother  Hurt  pronounced  the 
disease  liver  complaint,  and  was  in  the  act  of  open- 
ing her  medicine  case  when  Martha  entered  the 
room,  bearing  in  her  hands  a  tray  on  which  were 
some  dishes  containing  food  which  she  had  just  pre- 
pared for  Leah.  She  had  closed  the  door  behind 
her  and  advanced  half  way  to  the  bed  when  she  ob- 
tained a  full  view  of  the  face  of  Mother  Hurt,  and 


Bargain  and  Sale  of  Old  Rags.      181 

she  started  and  recoiled  in  terror  and  the  tray  al- 
most fell  from  her  hands.  Old  Leah's  quick  eyes 
took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  and  she  called  out 
sharply  to  Martha  who  advanced  and  placed  the 
tray  upon  a  stand  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  and  hast- 
ened toward  the  door  through  which  she  had  en- 
tered; but  old  Leah  called  her  back  and  explained 
to  Mother  Hurt  that  Martha  was  a  queer,  timid  child. 

The  doctress  looked  into  the  face  of  the  trembling 
girl  searchingly  a  few  moments  and  traced  out  every 
feature  of  mad  Aurelia.  These  were  her  thoughts: 
"How  beautiful  she  is,  and  how  pure.  How  has  she 
passed  through  the  fire  unscathed?  It  is  a  wonder 
of  wonders,  but  it  is  true,  for  I  can  read  a  human 
soul  at  a  glance.  How  like  Aurelia!  her  very 
image,  only  her  hair  and  complexion  which  are  those 
of  her  father." 

"How  old  are  you,  dear?"  inquired  Mother  Hurt, 
in  a  soothing  tone,  addressing  Martha  who  stood  at 
the  foot  of  Leah's  bed,  with  white  face  and  down- 
cast eyes. 

"Twelve  years,"  she  replied  tremulously  in  a 
voice  barely  audible. 

"What  is  your  name?" 

"Jacob  and  Leah  call  me  Martha." 

"But  what  was  your  name  before  you  came 
here?" 

"Valentina." 

"What  was  your  father's  name,  I  mean?" 


182  Joshua  Humble. 

"I  don't  know,  I  never  saw  him,  at  least  I  don't 
remember  him." 

"With  whom  did  you  live  before  you  came  here  ?" 

"I  lived  alone  with  Hero,  my  dog,  anywhere  that 
we  could  find  shelter,  sometimes  in  a  dry  goods 
box,  sometimes  in  an  unoccupied  building  and  finally 
in  a  cellar  where  Jacob  found  me  sick  and  brought 
me  here." 

''But  how  did  you  get  clothing?" 

"Paul  —  Paul  gave  it  to  me!"  replied  Martha  as 
a  grieved  expression,  which  was  very  pathetic  came 
to  her  mouth.  "Paul  who  is  dead  —  he  must  be  dead 
or  he  would  find  me!"  and  she  began  to  weep  and 
sob. 

"My  God,  Aurelia!"  thought  Mother  Hurt,  as 
she  noted  the  expression  of  the  child's  face  and  list- 
ened to  her  pathetic  sobs. 

With  a  great  effort  Martha  suppressed  her 
emotion,  wiped  the  tears  from  her  face,  turned  and 
looked  boldly  into  the  eyes  of  Mother  Hurt  and 
said: 

"And  who  are  you?  Wrhere  have  I  seen  you  be- 
fore ?  I  have  known  you  well,  but  where  or  when  I 
cannot  remember !  When  I  was  very  young  —  when 
I  was  a  baby  in  a  great  house  with  a  tall  tower  at  one 
corner!  or  have  I  been  dreaming  of  it  all  my  life?" 

"It  was  only  a  dream,  child  —  only  a  dream," 
replied  the  doctress  in  an  unsteady  voice  as  she 
opened  her  medicine  case.  "Only  a  dream  dear,  and 


Bargain  and  Sale  of  Old  Rags.      183 

dreams  are  sometimes  very  like  reality.  Go  now," 
and  as  Martha  passed  out  into  the  kitchen  and 
closed  the  door  softly,  Mother  Hurt  dealt  out  some 
medicine,  gave  the  necessary  directions  for  admin- 
istering it,  and  departed  leaving  Jacob  alone  with 
Leah.  He  had  not  uttered  a  word  after  Martha 
entered  the  room,  and  cowered  back  in  terror  as 
she  came  into  the  presence  of  Mother  Hurt.  His 
little  bead-like,  rattish  eyes  sparkled  with  intelligence 
and  so  utterly  absorbed  was  his  mind  in  its  efforts 
to  discover  the  mysterious  link  of  circumstances 
which  united  the  lives  of  the  old  doctress  and  the 
child,  that  for  the  time  being  he  was  absolutely 
dumb.  As  the  conversation  between  Martha  and 
Mother  Hurt  progressed  he  read  the  truth  from  the 
minds  of  each,  long  before  they  could  utter  it,  and 
when  Mother  Hurt  confusedly  dismissed  the  child, 
his  shrewd  mind  had  penetrated  and  explored  the 
whole  mystery.  He  was  familiar  with  the  Miser- 
leigh-Barnes  affair  from  first  to  last,  having  obtained 
his  information  from  one  of  the  Miserleigh's,  serv- 
ants, from  whom  he  purchased  valuable  articles 
filched  from  the  house  of  his  employer,  from  time 
to  time,  and  therefore  Jacob's  identification  of 
Martha  was  as  complete  as  was  that  of  Mother  Hurt. 
In  a  twinkling  he  comprehended  the  marvelous  gen- 
erosity of  Mother  Miserleigh  in  sending  the  doc- 
tress  to  attend  Leah,  and  he  also,  by  a  line  of  reason- 
ing, discovered  the  part  which  the  doctress  had 


184  Joshua  Humble. 

taken  in  the  abduction  of  the  child  from  its  mother. 
The  precise  reasons  for  the  cruel  and  unnatural  con- 
duct of  Mrs.  Miserleigh  he  also  correctly  surmised 
knowing  of  her  bitter  hatred  of  William  Barnes. 
All  this  came  before  his  mind  in  regular  order,  with 
the  clearness  of  a  vision,  as  Mother  Hurt  ques- 
tioned the  child,  and  when  the  scene  ended,  he  was 
as  fully  in  possession  of  all  the  facts  necessary  to  a 
thorough  understanding  of  the  situation  and  the 
exact  circumstances  of  the  case  as  was  Mother  Hurt, 
and  he  resolved  to  profit  by  his  knowledge  to  the 
fullest  extent. 

That  night  Jacob  Blum  lay  awake  and  planned 
how  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  He  went  over  the 
whole  ground,  step  by  step,  now  forward,  now  back- 
ward, now  this  way  and  then  that  way,  until  his  sur- 
very  was  thorough  and  complete.  Carefully  he  stud- 
ied the  motives  of  Mrs.  Miserleigh  in  turning  adrift 
the  helpless  young  children  of  mad  Aurelia  in  so 
heartless  a  manner,  and  he  easily  fathomed  the 
mystery.  Finally  his  eyelids  grew  heavy  and  at 
length  closed  in  slumber,  but  his  brain  went  right  on 
with  its  work  of  thinking  out  the  problem  and  when 
late  into  the  night  he  awoke,  his  plans  were  all 
formed  and  perfected  and  with  a  sigh  of  satisfaction 
he  turned  over  on  his  side  and  sank  into  a  dream- 
less sleep. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  DETECTION  OF  A  DETECTIVE  REVEALS  AN 
INFAMOUS  SCHEME. 

.When  Mother  Hurt  entered  her  carriage  In 
front  of  the  apartments  of  Jacob  Blum  she  was  in 
high  glee  because  of  her  success  in  identifying 
Martha,  and  yet  she  was  much  agitated  because  of 
Martha's  partial  identification  of  her.  Still  she  did 
not  fear  that  the  child  would  be  able  to  positively 
identify  her  as  her  abductress,  and  hence  gave  her- 
self no  serious  concern.  While  she  was  still  revolv- 
ing these  thoughts  in  her  mind,  her  carriage  drew  up 
in  front  of  the  Miserleigh  residence  and  she  alighted 
and  hurried  through  the  gate  and  up  the  paved  walk, 
and  was  met  at  the  front  hall  door  by  Mrs.  Miser- 
leigh, who  immediately  conducted  her  to  the  front 
parlor. 

"Well,  what  success?"  inquired  the  hostess  in  an 
anxious  tone  as  they  sat  down  close  together. 

"Excellent!"  replied  Mother  Hurt  confidently. 
"Your  surmises  were  correct.  It  is  Valentina." 

"You  are  quite  sure?" 

"Perfectly.     There  is  not  even  the  shadow  of  a 

(185) 


186  Joshua  Humble. 

doubt  in  my  mind.  Her  resemblance  to  Barnes  is 
very  marked,  and  to  Aurelia,  why  it  is  simply  start- 
ling! Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is  nevertheless  true 
that  she  recognized  me,  although  she  could  not  re- 
member where  or  when  she  had  known  me."  Then 
Mother  Hurt  proceeded  to  give  in  detail  an  account 
of  the  incidents  of  her  visit  to  the  Blum  family,  and 
when  she  had  concluded  her  narative  Mother  Miser- 
leigh  said: 

"You  have  done  well,  Mrs.  Hurt,  and  have  again 
placed  me  under  great  obligations  to  you.  Of  course 
Valentina  is  corrupt?" 

"Indeed  no!  She  is  as  pure  and  guileless  as  a 
babe." 

"A  thousand  wonders !"  eclaimed  Mrs.  Miser- 
leigh  excitedly. 

"Yes,"  responded  Mother  Hurt  earnestly,  "ten 
thousand  —  thousand  wonders!  but  it  is  neverthe- 
less true.  She  is  pure  and  innocent,  and  very  —  very 
beautiful.  But  I  must  go  now  for  it  is  nearly  time 
for  Sol.  to  return  home." 

"Yes,  he  will  be  here  very  soon.  Drive  one 
square  west  and  then  south  and  east  around  the  op- 
posite block  and  you  will  avoid  meeting  him." 

As  Mrs.  Miserleigh  talked,  they  had  passed  out 
of  the  parlor  and  along  the  hall  to  the  front  door, 
and  in  the  vestibule  they  parted  without  ceremony 
or  further  speech  between  them. 

About  ten  o'clock    on  the    following  morning, 


Jin  Infamous  Scheme.  187 

Jacob  Blum  rang  the  door  bell  of  the  Miserleigh 
residence  and  was  admitted  by  the  servant  but  left 
to  stand  in  the  front  hall  until  the  mistress  came  to 
him. 

"Goot  mornin'  Mischtress  Miserleigh,"  said 
Jacob,  doffing  his  cap  and  pulling  his  scalp  lock  in 
obeisance  as  Mrs.  Miserleigh  approached  him. 

"Why,"  she  responded  sharply  without  returning 
his  salutation,  "why,  what  are  you  doing  here?  I 
have  no  rags  to  sell  today  —  I  sold  you  all  I  had 
yesterday." 

"Yaw,  madam,"  he  replied,  again  pulling  his 
scalp  lock,  "but  I  vant  no  rags  dis  mornin',  I  vant 
somedings  petter,  I  cooms  on  udder  peeschness." 

"What  business?  What  are  you  talking  about?" 
she  demanded  sternly. 

"Dis!"  he  replied  straightening  himself  to  his 
full  height  and  flushing  with  anger.  "I  cooms  to 
talk  mit  you  about  Martha." 

"You  mean  the  girl  whom  you  found  in  a  cellar 
on  Commercial  Alley?" 

"Yaw  madam,  und  you  must  not  talks  to  me  in 
dat  done." 

"I'll  have  none  of  your  insolence !"  she  responded 
threateningly,  "I  know  nothing  of  your  pauper  girl 
and  care  less.  Because  I  took  pity  on  your  sick  wife 
and  sent  a  physician  to  attend  her  at  my  own  ex- 
pense, you  presume  to  return  to  me  and  demand 


188  Joshua  Humble. 

something  for  the  girl.  What  does  she  want?  A 
seal-skin  sacque,  a  silk  dress  and  diamonds?" 

"Nein,  madam,  Martha  wants  noddings  mit  you, 
und  you  ought  do  know  somedings  'bout  her  for 
she  vas  de  daughter  fon  your  daughter  Aurelia  und 
Bill  Barnes,  und  you  knows  it !" 

Mrs.  Miserleigh  was  amazed  by  Jacob's  blunt 
avowal.  She  perceived  that  in  some  manner,  which 
she  could  not  even  conjecture,  he  had  obtained  all 
of  the  essential  facts  concerning  the  conjugal  rela- 
tions of  Aurelia  and  William  Barnes  and  the  birth 
of  their  children  and  their  abandonment,  but  she 
resolved  to  put  his  knowledge  to  a  severe  test,  and 
therefore  responded  quickly  in  the  same  tone: 

"You  talk  nonsense  —  utter  nonsense !  You  find 
a  pauper  girl  and  conclude  that  she  resembles 
Aurelia.  You  remember  the  false  gossip  of  years 
ago,  and  you  arrive  at  conclusions  in  accordance 
with  it,  and  you  come  here  to  insult  me  with  them  in 
return  for  my  kindness  to  your  sick  wife." 

"Nein,  madam,"  replied  Jacob  slowly  and  re- 
spectfully. "You  vas  all  wrong  in  vat  you  say,  und 
you  knows  you  vas  wrong.  I  cooms  not  do.  insult 
you  madam,  in  any  vay,  und  if  you  will  lischden 
batiently  do  vat  I  say,  you  vill  see  dat  vat  I  schpeak 
vas  drue.  I  vas  your  friendt,  und  I  cooms  to  talks 
mit  you,  cause  vy?  Cause  you  vas  in  a  bad  fix  for 
vat  you  do  mit  Aurelia  und  her  schildther.  If  I  vas 
your  enemy  I  goes  to  William  Barnes  und  he  gief 


Jin  Infamous  Scheme.  189 

me  much  monish  for  de  girl  und  he  gief  you  trou- 
bles. Veil  now,  I  found  out  all  aboudt  William 
Barnes  und  Aurelia  und  de  twins,  fon  Jim  Boyle 
who  vas  your  servant  und  vas  deadt  now.  He  used 
to  schdeal  silver  schpoons  und  clodings  fon  you 
und  I  buys  'em.  Veil,  he  hears  you  and  Sol.  talk 
about  de  two  schildthen  fon  Barnes  und  Aurelia  und 
so  he  tole  me  all  aboud  idt.  Veil,  ven  de  ole  vomans 
doctor  coom  do  see  Leah  yeschterday  und  talks 
mit  Martha,  I  remember  vot  Jim  Boyle  tole  me,  und 
I  see  how  frightened  Martha  vas  und  knows  de  ole 
vomans,  but  can't  remember  ven  she  first  knows 
her,  und  I  remember  dat  someone  schdole  de 
childthen  fon  Aurelia,  und  I  know  dat  de  ole  vomans 
vas  de  theif.  Und  den  I  knew  vy  you  sent  de  ole 
vomans  doctor  to  Leah  vas  because  I  tole  you 
yeschterday  dat  I  found  a  girl  named  Valentina  und 
took  her  to  lib  mit  Leah  und  me.  Lascht  night  I  lays 
avake  und  dinks  him  all  oudt  und  I  say  to  mine 
self:  'I  vill  go  to  Mischtress  Miserleigh  und  tells 
her  vat  I  knows,  und  if  she  makes  some  peeschness 
for  me  mit  Sol.  den  I  schday  her  friendt.  If  not, 
den  I  go  to  Bill  Barnes  und  get  much  monish  for 
de  girl." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
A  CBIMINAL  ALLIANCE. 

As  Mrs.  Miserleigh  listened  to  Jacob's  blunt  but 
concise  statement  of  facts  which  she  had  believed 
were  known  only  to  herself  and  Mother  Hurt,  she 
became  greatly  alarmed,  for  she  realized  that  she 
was  wholly  at  the  mercy  of  a  person  quite  as  un- 
scrupulous and  vengeful  as  herself,  and  that  her  only 
course  of  prospective  safety  lay  in  the  direction  of 
a  compliance  with  his  demands,  and  when  he  had 
concluded  his  explanations,  she  had  fully  decided 
relative  to  the  course  she  would  pursue  in  the  mat- 
ter, and  inquired  in  a  tone  of  calm  unconcern  and 
utter  indifference: 

"What  kind  of  business  do  you  want  to  do  with 
Sol?" 

"I  vas  poor  und  needy,  I  have  no  monish  —  only 
enough  to  buy  a  vew  rags,  und  I  vant  to  do  a  big 
pesschness  in  ole  cloding  und  iron  und  rags." 

"And  you  want  Sol.  to  furnish  the  money?" 

"Yaw  madam." 

"Very  well,  he  shall  do  so,"  she  said  patronizingly. 
"Sit  down  there  (pointing  to  a  servant's  stool)  while 

(190) 


A  Criminal  Alliance.  191 

I  arrange  the  matter  as  you  desire,"  and  as  he 
slouched  down  upon  the  seat  with  a  triumphant,  self- 
satisfied  air,  she  passed  into  the  dining  room,  took 
writing  material  from  the  mantel,  sat  down  by  the 
table  and  wrote : 

"Sol:  Jacob  Blum  wants  to  engage  more  ex- 
tensively in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  old  clothing, 
iron  and  rags.  Loan  him,  without  interest,  whatever 
amount  of  money  he  may  require  for  that  purpose, 
and  make  him  a  present  of  two  hundred  dollars  and 
ask  no  questions.  You  well  know  how  charitable 
I  am,  and  will  readily  understand  that  I  am  influ- 
enced only  by  pity  for  his  forlorn  condition.  Culti- 
vate close  and  confidential  business  relations  with 
him  and  under  no  circumstances  offend  him !  Do 
not  mention  this  subject  when  you  return  home  to- 
night, nor  ever  afterward. 

"CELESTINE  MISERLEIGH." 
This  she  read  over  carefully  and  corrected  its 
punctuation  and  emphasis,  enclosed  it  in  an  en- 
velope, which  she  sealed  with  wax  stamped  with  her 
monogram,  addressed  the  envelope:  "Sol.  Miser- 
leigh,"  arose  from  the  table,  passed  into  the  hall, 
and  approached  old  Jacob  who  had  risen  from  the 
stool  when  he  heard  her  open  the  dining  room  door, 
and  began  pulling  his  scalp  lock  in  obeisance,  after 
the  manner  of  people  of  foreign  birth  of  low  de- 
gree, at  the  approach  of  their  superiors. 

"Here  Blum,"  said  Mrs.  Miserleigh  patronizingly, 
handing  him  the  letter  which  she  had  just  written 


192  Joshua  Humble. 

to  Sol.  "I  have  in  this  instructed  Miserleigh  to 
make  you  a  present  of  two  hundred  dollars  in  money, 
and  to  loan  you  without  interest,  whatever  sum  you 
may  require  for  the  business  in  which  you  wish  to 
engage ;  and  I  have  also  told  him  to  render  you 
whatever  other  assistance  you  may  need.  I  know 
you  are  a  consummate  scoundrel  and  would  not 
hesitate  for  one  moment  to  commit  murder  in  order 
to  accomplish  your  purposes ;  and  doubtless  for  very 
good  reasons  you  entertain  a  similar  opinion  of  me. 
Such  being  the  case,  you  will  do  well  to  remember 
that  rogues  among  themselves  never  forget  or  for- 
give a  traitor,  and  do  not  for  one  moment  forget 
that  it  will  be  greatly  to  your  advantage  to  deal 
honestly  with  me,  and  in  good  faith.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  you  deal  treacherously  with  me  in  the  slight- 
est degree,  the  world  will  not  be  large  enough  to 
contain  us  both !  What  you  want  is  money,  and  you 
can  get  more  of  it  through  my  influence  than  by 
any  other  human  agency.  I  know  your  nature.  It 
is  that  of  the  serpent;  you  may  by  careful  handling 
become  in  a  manner  docile,  but  may  never  be  im- 
plicity  trusted.  If  you  will  remember  that  serpents 
often  sting  themselves  to  death  in  their  efforts  to 
poison  their  masters,  you  will  never  even  dream  of 
betraying  me.  As  you  doubtless  know,  Sol.  is  pre- 
cisely one  of  your  kind :  as  treacherous  as  an  Indian, 
as  cunning  as  a  fox,  and  as  dangerous  as  a  serpent ; 
but  for  all  that  he  is  an  honorable  rogue  and  will 


Jl  Criminal  Alliance.  193 

never  deceive  nor  betray  one  of  his  confederates. 
Go  now,  and  never  come  to  me  again  unless  you 
have  important  information  which  you  know  I  will 
not  otherwise  obtain,  or  unless  I  send  for  you." 

As  she  uttered  the  last  words,  Mrs.  Miserleigh 
placed  her  hand  rudely  upon  Jacob's  shoulder,  pushed 
him  out  into  the  vestibule,  opened  the  front  hall 
door  and  thrust  him  out  upon  the  front  steps  and 
pulled  the  door  shut  in  his  face.  So  overawed  was 
he  by  her  mastery,  and  so  utterly  confused  by  her 
vehemence  that  his  lips  were  powerless  to  utter  the 
reply  which  his  mind  had  suggested  and  matured, 
that  he  could  only  murmur  his  thanks  to  the  closed 
door  and  then  silently  depart.  He  was  a  conquered 
hyena.  He  walked  down  the  flight  of  stone  steps 
and  along  the  paved  footway  across  the  lawn  to  the 
front  gate,  carrying  the  letter  in  one  hand  and  his 
cap  in  the  other,  before  he  realized  that  his  smooth 
bald  head  was  exposed  to  a  freezing  atmosphere, 
and  then  he  quickly  put  on  his  cap,  passed  out  of  the 
enclosure  upon  the  street  and  hurried  away  toward 
the  business  center  of  the  city. 

An  hour  later  Jacob  Blum  stood  in  the  presence 
of  Sol.  Miserleigh  in  his  office,  and  handed  Mrs. 
Miserleigh's  letter  to  him.  To  say  merely  that  Sol. 
was  greatly  surprised  and  bewildered  thereby  would 
but  imperfectly  explain  his  mental  condition,  as  he 
recognized  his  mother's  handwriting  on  the  en- 
velope; and  as  he  broke  the  seal  and  proceeded  to 

[13J 


194  Joshua  Humble. 

read  the  letter,  his  hands  trembled  so  violently  that 
the  paper  rattled  and  he  was  compelled  to  lay  it  down 
upon  the  desk  before  him  and  finish  its  perusal, 
while  his  head  wagged  and  nodded  like  one  with  the 
palsy.  He  was  a  pitiable  object  as  he  sat  there  bend- 
ing over  the  letter  on  his  desk  —  a  cringing  grovel- 
ing human  cur,  in  abject  terror  of  its  stern  uncom- 
promising master! 

When  Sol.  Miserleigh  had  perused  the  letter  for 
the  third  time,  he  slowly  returned  it  to  its  original 
fold,  replaced  it  in  its  envelope,  placed  his  hand  upon 
it,  invited  Jacob  to  be  seated  and  then  said  to  him 
confidentially : 

"Well  Blum,  I  have  known  you  by  sight  for  — 
let  me  see!  —  at  least  fifteen  years;  but  as  we  have 
never  had  any  dealings  together  this  may  be  re- 
garded as  our  first  acquaintance.  I  have  heard  a  great 
deal  concerning  you  and  from  my  knowledge  of 
your  peculiar  characteristics  you  and  I  ought  to  get 
along  very  well  together.  We  can  be  of  great  assist- 
ance to  each  other  in  many  ways :  you  need  a  moneyed 
friend  who  will  help  you  when  you  need  pecuniary 
assistance  in  your  business,  and  I  need  a  man  of 
your  personal  peculiarities  to  help  me  in  my  busi- 
ness. You  well  know  that  we  cannot  always  go 
straight  in  our  dealings  with  people  in  general;  in 
fact  we  are  often  compelled  to  go  very  crooked  in 
our  ways  to  success,  and  I  need  you  to  manipulate 


A  Criminal  Alliance.  195 

the  crooked  part  of  my  business.  Now  what  do  you 
say?  Shall  we  become  allies  upon  those  terms?" 

Jacob  winked  knowingly  at  Sol.  Miserleigh, 
leered  and  grimaced  until  his  rainbow-like  nose  and 
chin  almost  met,  and  the  wrinkles  went  rippling 
away  from  his  beetling  brows  up  over  his  forehad 
and  across  his  smooth  bald  head  and  disappeared 
in  the  little  fringe  of  coarse  gray  hair  at  the  rear 
base  of  his  cranium.  With  gleaming  eyes  and 
dilated  nostrils  he  drew  closer  and  still  closer  to  Sol. 
Miserleigh,  wagging  his  head  from  side  to  side,  until 
his  garlic-tobacco  perfumed  breath  was  snorted  into 
Sol's  face,  suggesting  to  his  mind  the  unutterable 
horror  of  the  fumes  of  the  inferno,  and  old  Jacob 
as  an  arch-devil.  Nearer  and  nearer  he  approached 
until  barely  six  inches  of  space  separated  his  nose 
from  that  of  Sol.  Miserleigh,  when,  suddenly  he 
raised  his  right  hand  and  brought  it  down  upon  Sol's 
shoulder  and  hissed  forth  in  a  satanic  tone  the  single 
word: 

"Yaw!" 

It  came  to  Miserleigh  like  an  electric  shock  and 
he  sprang  half  out  of  his  chair  and  appeared  to  be  on 
the  point  of  precipitate  flight,  but  as  Jacob  drew 
back  and  resumed  his  former  position,  so  also  did 
Sol.  A  few  moments  of  silence  ensued  during  which 
Miserleigh  regained  his  composure  and  finally  re- 
sumed the  conversation,  by  saying,  as  though  noth- 
ing unusual  had  occurred: 

".Well,  Blum,  we  understand  each  other  perfectly, 


196  Joshua  Humble. 

I  think,  and  I  trust  that  our  relations  will  be  both 
pleasant  and  profitable  to  us  both.  You  want  to 
engage  extensively  in  the  old  iron  and  rag  business  ?" 

"Yaw!"   replied  Blum  decisively. 

"How  much  money  will  you  need  for  that  pur- 


pose 


"Doo  dthousand  dollar." 

"I  will  let  you  have  that  amount  upon  your  sim- 
ple promissory  note  for  one  year  without  interest,  and 
as  much  longer  as  you  may  need  it,  renewing  the 
note  every  twelve  months."  As  Sol.  talked  he  filled 
out  a  note  for  the  amount  which  Jacob  signed,  and 
then  Miserleigh  filled  out  a  blank  bank  check  for 
twenty-two  hundred  dollars  and  handed  it  to  Blum 
who  merely  murmured  his  thanks  and  then  de- 
parted, leaving  the  scheming  stock-broker  revolving 
in  his  mind  the  important  question  as  to  how  he 
might  utilize  his  new  acquaintance  so  as  to  recover 
indirectly  the  money  which  he  had  just  loaned  to 
him  and  which  he  knew  would  never  be  repaid. 

Thus  did  the  two  scoundrels,  each  an  accom- 
plished specialist  in  his  own  particular  and  peculiar 
line  of  villiany,  become  partners  in  crime;  Jacob, 
a  human  brute  with  beastly  courage  and  instinct, 
and  Miserleigh  a  human  mental  monstrosity  with 
satanic  heartlessness  and  cunning  avarice. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
AN  INGENIOUS  SNABE  WHICH  FAILED  TO  CATCH  THE  GAME. 

It  was  Saturday  night,  and  people  were  hurrying 
homeward  from  their  offices,  stores  and  workshops, 
and  each  face  was  brighter  and  each  heart  was  lighter 
and  happier  than  it  had  been  on  the  morning  of 
that  day.  The  pleasing  anticipation  of  a  day  of 
rest  for  both  mind  and  body,  had  cleared  away  the 
shadows  from  each  brow  and  smoothed  down  the 
lines  of  care  upon  each  face.  As  the  blacksmith 
struck  the  last  blows  upon  the  glowing  iron  on 
his  anvil,  as  the  baker,  the  brewer,  the  butcher,  the 
machinist  and  mechanics  and  laborers  of  all  grades 
and  occupations  put  away  the  implements  of  their 
toil;  as  the  merchant,  the  professional  man,  the 
clerk,  the  saleswoman  and  the  seamstress  abandoned 
their  occupations  for  the  night  and  the  following  day 
and  the  night  following,  they  also  put  down  their 
burdens  of  mind,  and  only  indulged  in  pleasant  an- 
ticipations of  the  rest  and  peace  and  comforts  of 
home. 

As  twilight  came  and  deepened  and  street  lamps 
flashed  out  their  lights  one  by  one,  as  the  busy  swift- 

(197) 


198  Joshua  Humble. 

footed  lighters  hurried  along,  Joshua  Humble  closed 
his  account  book,  on  his  desk  in  Sol.  Miserleigh's 
office,  took  away  his  spectacles  from  his  nose,  care- 
fully wiped  the  ink  from  his  gold  pen,  descended  from 
his  high  stool,  put  on  his  great  coat  and  hat,  walked 
over  by  the  stove,  turned  his  back  to  it,  and  leaning 
upon  the  handle  of  his  umbrella,  looked  out  of  the 
window  upon  the  street  filled  with  an  eager  hurrying 
crowd  of  people  of  all  ages,  conditions  and 
occupations.  "Thus  are  we  all  hurrying  to  our 
Eternal  Home!  How  many  of  that  vast  throng  of 
people  will  be  alive  one  ye?r  from  today?"  thought 
he  sadly  as  he  observed  the  impatient  crowd  jostle 
each  other  rudely  in  their  efforts,  each  to  outstrip 
the  other  in  their  race  for  that  blessed  goal :  "Sweet 
home." 

"Humble!" 

It  was  the  cold,  harsh  voice  of  Sol.  Miserleigh, 
and  that  interesting  individual  turned  around  in  his 
seat  by  his  desk  as  he  spoke,  and  held  out  a  bank 
note  which  Joshua  Humble  took  from  his  hand.  It 
was  his  week's  salary. 

"I  wish  to  pay  the  balance  due  on  that  note  Mr. 
Miserleigh,  and  thus  cancel  my  entire  indebtedness 
to  you,"  said  Joshua  Humble  in  a  voice 
which  startled  the  stock-broker  —  a  voice  which  he 
had  not  heard  for  twenty-five  years ;  and  through  his 
troubled  mind  in  quick  succession  came  trooping  the 
ghosts  of  the  dead  past  —  phantoms  of  his  cruel 


Jin  Ingenious  Scheme.  199 

wrongs  and  heartless  robbery  of  the  brave  and  hon- 
est man  who  stood  calmly  before  him.  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh  was  silent  because  he  could  not  answer.  His 
mind  was  in  the  midst  of  an  emotional  tempest, 
drifting  here  and  there  and  for  a  moment  he  could 
not  direct  his  thoughts. 

Joshua  Humble  stood  still  and  silent.  He  was 
a  patient  soul  —  and  merciful  —  and  observing  his 
employer's  utter  confusion  of  mind  he  resolved  to 
await  the  issue  without  further  speech.  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh  turned  around  to  his  desk,  fumbled  some  pa- 
pers in  his  fingers,  opened  and  shut  drawers  without 
even  looking  into  them,  and  finally  remarked  in  a 
tone  of  surprise: 

"Why,  it  is  getting  dark !" 

"Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Humble,  "it  is  nearly  six 
o'clock." 

"Ah,  yes,  Mr.  Humble,  you  made  some  remark 
about  that  note.  I  was  thinking  of  something  else 
at  the  moment  and  did  not  clearly  comprehend  your 
meaning." 

"I  want  to  pay  the  balance  due  on  my  note,  and 
to  receive  from  you  all  of  the  evidences  of  Claude's 
indebtedness." 

Sol.  Miserleigh  arose  from  his  chair,  lighted  the 
gas,  resumed  his  seat,  opened  a  drawer  in  his  desk, 
took  out  the  note,  figured  a  few  moments  and  finally 
said,  while  he  drummed  nervously  on  the  desk  with 
his  fingers  j 


200  Joshua  Humble. 

"Ten  dollars,  Mr.  Humble."  ' 

"That  is  correct,  and  here  is  the  money." 

"Why,  how  did  you  know  so  readily?  You  can- 
not have  kept  the  account  in  your  mind  during  all 
these  years." 

"No,  not  in  my  mind  wholly,  but  here,"  produc- 
ing a  memorandum  book. 

"Ah!  Mr.  Humble,  you  have  been  counting  the 
days  also  doubtless." 

"Yes,  and  even  the  moments." 

"And  why?" 

"I  am  surprised  that  a  person  of  your  intelligence 
should  ask  such  an  absurd  question,"  replied  Mr. 
Humble  slowly  and  with  peculiar  emphasis.  "The 
past  sir,  cannot  be  lived  over  again,  else  many 
wrong  might  be  righted  and  many  iniquities  easily 
atoned  for  and  eventually  forgotten." 

"Do  you  allude  to  your  son's  misdemeanor?" 

"Nor  sir !  I  will  not  discuss  that  subject.  Furth- 
ermore, I  must  positively  refuse  to  discuss  our  past 
relations  in  any  manner.  Many  years  ago,  I  prom- 
ised to  pay  you  a  certain  sum  of  money  in  monthly 
installments  and  to  serve  you  as  an  employe  until 
that  obligation  was  discharged,  in  consideration  of 
which  you  agreed  to  deliver  to  me  certain  written 
evidences  of  Claude's  indebtedness  to  you.  I  have 
fulfilled  my  part  of  the  contract  to  the  very  letter, 
and  now  I  am  prepared  to  pay  to  you  the  amount 


An  Ingenious  Scheme.  201 

of  the  last  installment,  and  thus  to  relieve  myself 
forever  from  all  obligations  to  you.  Of  course  you 
will  fulfill  your  part  of  the  contract  here  and  now. 
Certainly  you  cannot  do  otherwise  than  to  keep 
your  promise  as  faithfully  as  I  have  kept  mine.  I 
am  growing  old,"  added  Mr.  Humble  sadly,  "and  I 
want  to  get  even  with  the  world  before  I  am  called 
hence.  I  do  not  want  to  leave  behind  me  any  un- 
filled obligations." 

"Sixty-five  is  not  old  for  you,"  said  Miserleigh, 
"your  physical  development  and  constitution  are  sim- 
ply magnificent,  your  health  is  excellent,  your  mind 
fresh  and  vigorous,  and  there  are  twenty  years  of 
good  service  in  you  yet.  Why  not  begin  life  anew?" 

"I  will,  from  this  day !" 

Sol  Miserleigh  had  taken  the  money  for  the  last 
installment,  and  as  he  talked,  had  made  the  endorse- 
ment of  credit  on  the  note  and  handed  it  and  the 
other  papers  to  Mr.  Humble,  as  he  uttere.d  the  last 
words ;  and  Mr.  Humble  was  placing  the  note  in  his 
pocket  book  as  he  replied,  and  his  words  were  literal 
truth,  for  the  years  of  his  bondange  were  forever 
ended  and  a  new  life  was  before  him. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Humble,"  said  Miserleigh  reflectively, 
"but  you  cannot  begin  again  like  a  young  man — you 
must  have  means.  Of  course  you  will  resume  your 
former  business,  and  I  tell  you  frankly  that  with 
your  knowledge  and  experience,  taken  away  from 


202  Joshua  Humble. 

my  service,  and  probably  used  against  me  in  the 
way  of  competition,  I  shall  not  feel  so  sure  of  suc- 
cess in  the  future  as  I  have  felt  in  the  past.  Now 
what  do  you  say  to  a  partnership  with  me? — a  silent 
partnership  on  your  part,  of  course.  I  will  loan  you 
five  thousand  dollars  without  interest  and  put  in  an 
equal  amount,  and  we  will  share  equally  in  the 
profits." 

"I  appreciate  your  offer  fully  and  in  its  proper 
sense,  and  I  also  fully  understand  it  in  all  its  bear- 
ings," said  Mr.  Humble  slowly,  measuring  his  words, 
"but  I  cannot  decide  now.  I  must  have  time  to 
weigh  the  subject  more  carefully.  In  the  mean- 
time I  should  like  to  continue  in  your  employ." 

"Well,  consider  the  matter  at  your  leisure,"  re- 
plied Miserleigh  delightedly,  evidently  surprised  out 
of  his  wits.  "So  long  as  you  remain  with  me  of 
course  I  shall  not  urge  the  matter.  We  have  been 
so  long  and  so  intimately  associated  in  business, 
that  I  would  scarcely  know  how  to  continue  without 
you.  Hence  my  offer  to  you  of  a  partnership  with 
me,  which  is  certainly  very  fair  and  liberal.  You 
can  remain  in  the  office  and  manage  the  business 
here  in  all  its  details  and  I  will  attend  to  outside 
matters  just  as  heretofore.  But  of  course,  if  you 
accept  a  partnership,  our  relations  will  be  quite  dif- 
ferent from  what  they  have  been  in  the  past;  it  will 
be  my  duty  and  certainly  my  pleasure  tQ  treat  you 


Ingenious  Scheme.  203 

with  due  respect  and  consideration.  You  will  find 
Sol.  Miserleigh  the  partner,  quite  a  different  man 
from  Miserleigh  the  employer." 

"For  the  present,  I  prefer  to  remain  in  your 
service  as  heretofore,"  replied  Mr.  Humble  as  they 
went  out  upon  the  street  and  locked  the  office  door. 
"I  must  have  time  to  become  accustomed  somewhat 
to  my  new  condition  and  to  gradually  drift  back  to 
my  former  self,  and  then  I  will  be  prepared  to  en- 
gage in  business  on  my  own  account." 

"I  appreciate  your  ideas  in  the  matter,"  said 
Miserleigh,  "and  upon  reflection  I  think  the  course 
you  have  decided  to  adopt  ,the  wisest.  I  realize  that 
your  long  service  as  an  employe  has,  for  the  time 
being,  in  a  masure,  deprived  you  of  the  ability  to 
think  and  act  independently,  and  that  you  will  re- 
quire rest  of  both  mind  and  body.  Your  salary  here- 
after will  be  fifty  dollars  a  week  and  you  will  be  at 
perfect  liberty  to  fix  your  office  hours  to  suit  your 
own  convenience.  I  will  employ  another  man  to 
do  the  laborious  part  of  the  work  which  you  have 
heretofore  performed,  and  you  will  take  the  desk 
formerly  occupied  by  Sam  Slick.  Good  night." 

"Good  night,"  responded  Mr.  Humble  and  each 
walked  away  in  different  directions. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 
A  PLIANT  MENIAL  TRANSFORMED  INTO  A  MAJESTIC  BEING. 

A  fine  heavy  mist  was  falling  which  was  imme- 
diately converted  into  ice,  and  the  pavements  were 
very  slippery,  rendering  walking  difficult  and  dan- 
gerous. And  yet  Joshua  Humble  managed  to  make 
good  speed  homeward,  passing  on  the  way  hundreds 
of  young  people  going  in  the  same  direction.  He 
walked,  not  in  the  former  stooping,  crouching,  glid- 
ing manner  of  Sol.  Miserleigh's  menial,  but  with 
the  upright  manly  bearing  of  Joshua  Humble  the 
stock  broker  of  old;  and  as  he  strode  along,  a  very 
giant  in  stature,  bulk  and  power  compared  with  the 
tallest  and  heaviest  and  strongest  of  the  people 
whom  he  met,  all  of  them  marveled  at  his  speed  and 
strength  in  comparison  with  their  own,  for  although 
they  were  straining  every  nerve  in  the  effort  they 
were  unable  to  keep  pace  with  him  even  for  a  mo- 
ment. As  he  hurried  along  he  revolved  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh's propostion  in  his  mind  and  smiled  grimly. 
"IS  it  possible,"  he  thought,  "that  Sol.  Miserleigh 
does  not  know  me  yet?  that  he  deems  me  capable 
of  such  consummate  weakness  and  folly,  as  to  pre- 

(204) 


A  Pliant  Menial.  205 

cipitate  myself  headlong  into  his  pitfall?  No,  no, 
Mr.  Miserleigh,  not  today,  nor  tomorrow  nor  ever 
afterward !  I  shall  remain  in  your  employ  for  the 
time  being  in  order  to  blind  you  as  to  my  purposes 
until  I  can  fully  accomplish  them,  and  then  —  well, 
then  I  will  engage  in  business  on  my  own  account 
I  presume."  .While  his  mind  was  still  busy  with 
these  thoughts  he  drew  near  to  his  home,  even  with- 
in half  a  square  before  he  realized  that  fact.  Sud- 
denly he  became  conscious  of  the  locality  and  paus- 
ing on  the  street  corner  out  of  the  gas-light,  he 
looked  carefully  around  him  and  up  and  down  both 
streets.  "No  spies  out  tonight,  the  hounds  called 
off,"  he  muttered,  "what  can  it  mean?  Ah,  I  com- 
prehend, called  in  for  conference.  I  must  profit  by 
my  respite."  Then  he  moved  forward  at  a  quick 
pace,  ascended  the  steps  of  his  residence,  closed  his 
umbrella  and  placed  his  hand  upon  the  knob,  but 
before  he  could  turn  it,  the  door  swung  quickly  open 
and  a  beautiful  little  face  peered  out  from  behind  it 
and  a  sweet  little  voice  which  trembled  with  joy  said 
to  him : 

"Come  in,  grandpa  dear!  I  have  been  watching 
for  you  so  —  so  long  —  at  the  front  window  of  the 
sitting  room  and  saw  you  coming  half  a  square  down 
the  street.  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  that  you  have  come 
grandpa !" 

Joshua  Humble  did  not  reply  to  the  joyous  prat- 
tle of  little  Alice,  but  hastily  putting  down  his  um- 


206  Joshua  Humble. 

brella,  and  relieving  himself  of  his  hat  and  great  coat, 
he  stooped  down  and  clasped  the  child  in  his  arms. 
As  he  arose  to  an  upright  position  and  the  light  of 
the  hall  lamp  fell  full  upon  his  face,  little  Alice  ex- 
claimed surprisedly:  ".Why  grandpa!  how  beautiful 
you  look  tonight !  The  wrinkles  are  all  gone  from  your 
face,  and  your  eyes  are  so  bright  and  clear,  and  you  are 
so  tall  and  large  —  ever  so  much  taller  and  larger 
than  you  were  this  morning!  Did  you  meet  some 
good  fairy  on  your  way  home  who  made  you  young 
again  ?" 

Again  he  did  not  answer  because  his  heart  was 
full  of  joy  and  his  lips  were  sealed  by  its  sweet  spirit, 
and  as  little  Alice  nestled  her  head  upon  his  shoulder 
and  put  her  arms  around  his  neck,  he  walked  into  the 
sitting  room  to  receive  the  usual  loving  welcome  of 
his  good  sister. 

"Why,  Joshua!"  she  said  delightedly  as  he 
paused  under  the  hanging  lamp  and  turned  his  radi- 
ant face  toward  her :  "Hew  young  you  look  tonight ! 
Something  unusually  pleasant  must  have  happened 
you  today!" 

"Yes,  sister,"  he  replied  joyfully,  "this  is  to  me  a 
bright  and  beautiful  day-dawn  of  happiness  after  a 
long  night  of  humiliation  and  woe!  It  is  the  day 
of  my  emancipation." 

"And  is  it  indeed  ended  ?"  she  asked  joyfully. 

"It  is  finished  to  the  very  fullness  and  I  am  free !" 


A  Pliant  Menial.  207 

"Thank  God!"  and  his  faithful  loving  old  sister 
put  her  arms  around  his  neck  and  wept  for  joy. 

"Now  Auntie  why  do  you  do  so  ?  Why  do  you 
cry  when  grandpa  is  so  happy  and  bedlutiful?"  ex- 
claimed little  Alice  reproachfully.  A  good  fairy  met 
him  on  his  way  home  tonight  and  made  him  young 
again.  So  do  not  cry  Auntie  dear,  because  he  does 
not  look  as  he  did  this  morning."  Then  she  con- 
tinued to  laugh  and  prattle  until  the  evening  meal 
was  eaten,  and  then  Joshua  Humble  announced  that 
he  would  be  compelled  to  go  out  to  attend  to  some 
important  business  that  night,  and  would  probably 
not  return  before  ten  o'clock.  To  that  proposition 
little  Alice  demurred  most  positively,  saying: 

"Now  grandpa,  here  I've  been  waiting  all  —  all 
day  long  —  waiting  for  the  night;  and  oh,  how 
glad  I  was  when  I  saw  the  darkness  coming,  for  I 
knew  that  you  would  soon  be  home !  And  I  sat  by 
the  window  with  my  nose  pressed  against  the  glass 
until  it  was  nearly  frozen,  looking  out  at  the  falling 
sleet,  and  watching  to  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  you 
at  the  corner  down  there.  And  then  at  last  you 
came,  and  walked  so  fast  and  proud  and  strong, 
while  other  people  went  slipping  along  as  though 
they  were  afraid  of  falling.  And  then  you  came 
bounding  up  the  steps  and  I  opened  the  door  before 
you  could  turn  the  knob,  and  then  you  were  home 
at  last  and  I  was  so  glad !  And  now  you  are  going 


208  Joshua  Humble. 

away  again,  and  what  will  I  do  all  the  evening  but 
sit  by  the  fire  and  watch  the  blazing  coal  and  think 
of  you,  dear  grandpa  and  wish  for  your  return  ?" 

Joshua  Humble  was  silent.  He  could  never  re- 
ply to  the  child  when  she  began  to  plead  with  him, 
for  she  filled  his  very  soul  with  herself  and  took  his 
heart  captive.  His  sister,  who  knew  him  so  thor- 
oughly, always  went  to  his  relief  on  such  occasions, 
and  as  he  stood  there  in  speechless  confusion  look- 
ing down  regretfully  into  the  sad  eyes  of  the  pleading 
child,  she  observed  the  necessity  of  her  mediation, 
and  with  a  few  kind  words  to  little  Alice  she  ef- 
fected a  satisfactory  compromise,  conditional  upon 
the  making  of  an  entire  new  suit  for  her  favorite 
dolly,  and  her  being  allowed  to  sit  up  and  wait  for 
her  grandpa's  return.  And  thus  the  matter  stood 
as  Joshua  Humble  departed,  after  many  kisses  and 
caresses  from  little  Alice. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

A  WOLF  CONQUEBED  BY  A   LAMB. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later,  Mr.  Humble  rang  the 
door  bell  of  a  stately  residence  and  was  ushered  into 
the  library  and  cordially  welcomed  by  Judge  Prye. 

It  was  their  first  meeting  since  the  night  of  Judge 
Prye's  visit  in  disguise  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Humble, 
although  in  the  meantime  they  had  been  in  constant 
communication  by  letter  through  the  post  office, 
whereby  they  had  been  enabled  in  perfect  safety  to 
concert  and  mature  plans  for  Sol.  Miserleigh's  over- 
throw and  punishment.  During  that  correspond- 
ence, Mr.  Humble  had  informed  Judge  Prye  of  the 
circumstances  of  George  Langdon's  enforced  de- 
parture from  the  city,  but  was  unable  to  furnish  any 
information  concerning  his  whereabouts.  However, 
on  that  very  day,  the  day  of  his  emancipation  from 
bondage  to  Sol.  Miserleigh,  that  information  had 
come  to  him  in  a  startling  manner,  it  being  no  less 
than  a  letter  from  Paul  Dyke,  alias  Sam  Slick,  and 
the  most  surprising  information  which  the  letter 
contained  was,  that  the  wolf  had  been  conquered  by 
the  lamb,  and  that  Sam  Slick  the  confidence  man 

[14]  (209) 


210  Joshua  Humble. 

and  confederate  of  Sol.  Miserleigh,  had,  through" 
some  powerful  and  mysterious  agency,  undergone 
a  thorough  moral  revolution  and  purification,  and 
had  become  Paul  Dyke  the  honest  man  and  gen- 
tleman. 

Joshua  Humble  had  read  the  letter  carefully  over 
and  over  again  many  times,  and  studied  its  diction 
and  its  thoughts  expressed  and  implied,  had  weighed 
every  motive  with  the  delicate  precision  of  an  ex- 
perienced and  cultivated  mind,  and  had  finally  ar- 
rived at  the  gratifying  conclusion  that  Sam  Slick 
had  indeed  and  in  truth  undergone  a  thorough  moral 
regeneration.  Then  in  silence  he  bowed  his  head 
and  thanked  God  for  the  deliverance  of  George 
Langdon  from  his  awful  peril.  "In  this  wonderful 
accomplishment,  I  see  Thy  power  and  goodness  and 
mercy,  O,  God,  and  unto  Thee  do  I  render  the 
honor,  and  the  glory,  and  the  praise,  Amen !"  These 
were  the  concluding  words  of  Joshua  Rumble's  silent 
prayer,  and  the  Great  Recorder  jotted  them  down  in 
His  eternal  records  of  the  just. 

After  Judge  Prye  had  greeted  Joshua  Humble 
and  had  warmly  congratulated  him  on  his  final  de- 
liverance from  bondage  to  Sol.  Miserleigh,  Mr.  Hum- 
ble handed  Paul  Dyke's  letter  to  him  saying:  "This 
will  doubtless  be  as  interesting  and  gratifying  to  you 
as  it  is  to  me.  Truly,  'when  God  is  with  us  who  can 
stand  against  us?'  I  received  this  letter  today." 


A  Wolf  Conquered.  211 

Judge  Prye  took  the  letter  from  Mr.  Humble's 
hand  and  perused  it  slowly  and  carefully  to  the  last 
word,  looked  down  upon  the  carpet  a  few  moments 
thoughtfully,  began  and  read  the  letter  again,  evi- 
dently weighing  each  word  and  analyzing  each 
thought  with  the  care  and  precision  of  an  experienced 
jurist,  and  finally,  when  his  mind  had  thoroughly 
digested  every  portion  of  it,  he  took  his  spectacles 
from  his  eyes,  and  holding  them  in  one  hand  and  the 
open  letter  in  the  other  hand,  he  turned  to  Mr.  Hum- 
ble and  said: 

"Well,  what  do  you  make  of  it?" 
"I  believe  his  statements  implicity." 
"And  so  do  I,"  responded  Judge  Prye.    "Who  will 
say  that  there  is  no  God?" 

"None  but  those  who  are  hopelessly  afflicted  with 
moral  leprosy,  or  stricken  with  mental  paralysis!" 
replied  Joshua  Humble  fervently.  Then  taking  from 
the  inside  pocket  of  his  coat  a  package  of  papers, 
and  also  a  package  of  photographs,  he  proceeded  to 
show  the  papers  to  Judge  Prye  one  by  one  and  to 
explain  them  to  him  in  careful  detail.  They  con- 
sisted of  copies  of  promissory  notes  in  favor  of  Sol. 
Miserleigh  and  paid  to  him  by  estates  against  which 
they  were  held.  These  notes  had  originally  been 
drawn  for  hundreds  of  dollars,  and  after  the  decease 
of  their  makers  their  amounts  had  been  changed 
to  thousands,  and  yet  upon  their  face  they  showed 
not  the  slightest  indication  of  abrasion,  the  erasures 


212  Joshua  Humble. 

having  been  performed  with  chemicals,  and  the 
enamel  of  the  paper  restored  by  the  application  of 
a  resinous  substance.  These  copies  of  the  notes 
were  in  Mr.  Rumble's  hand  writing,  but  each  of  them 
was  accompanied  by  two  photographs  of  them,  one 
being  of  the  note  as  originally  made  and  the  other 
after  the  alteration  had  been  effected.  The  latter 
showed  the  alterations  with  marvelous  distinctness, 
although  upon  the  note  itself,  the  fact  could  not 
have  been  detected  with  the  naked  eye,  or  even  with 
an  ordinary  magnifying  glass  with  any  degree  of  cer- 
tainty. Judge  Prye  was  deelpy  interested  in  the  ex- 
amination of  these  photographs,  and  marveled  much 
at  the  wonderful  skill  of  the  forger,  who  had  imitated 
the  several  styles  of  hand  writing  in  every  particular. 
The  photographs  of  the  altered  notes  showed  not 
only  the  abrasion  and  re-enameling,  but  also  the  lines 
of  the  original  writing  were  faintly  visible  to  the 
naked  eye  and  under  a  powerful  magnifying  glass 
which  Mr.  Humble  had  brought  with  him,  its  every 
dot  and  hair  line  could  be  clearly  traced. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
A  POACHER  CAUGHT  m  His  OWN  TOIL. 

When  Judge  Prye  had  examined  each  of  these 
photographs  several  times,  he  was  about  to  lay 
down  the  magnifying  glass,  when  observing  that 
Mr.  Humble  still  held  two  photographs  in  his  hand, 
he  was  upon  the  point  of  asking  the  privilege  of 
examining  them  also  when  Mr.  Humble,  anticipating 
his  request  said : 

"First  let  us  estimate  the  amount  of  money  that 
Sol.  Miserleigh  has  obtained  by  these  forgeries  and 
then  we  will  examine  these  photographs,  the  most 
interesting  of  all  of  them." 

By  a  simple  process  of  addition  and  subtraction, 
Judge  Prye  ascertained  the  amount,  which  was  in 
the  neighborhood  of  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand 
dollars,  and  as  he  put  down  the  pencil  and  leaned 
back  in  his  chair,  he  said: 

"I  cannot  understand  how  thirteen  executors, 
all  of  them  shrewd  and  experienced  business  men, 
could  have  been  so  thoroughly  and  grossly  deceived. 
Why,  their  schedules  of  liabilities  would  have  un- 
covered the  frauds." 

(213) 


214  Joshua  Humble. 

"They  were  not  deceived,"  replied  Joshua  Hum- 
ble slowly  and  positively.  "They  were  all  in  collu- 
sion with  Sol.  Miserleigh,  and  fixed  the  schedules  to 
correspond  with  the  forged  amounts,  else  as  you 
have  said,  the  schemes  would  have  failed  miserably; 
Sol.  Miserleigh  got  one-half  and  the  executors  the 
other  half  of  the  plunder!" 

"Monstrous !"  exclaimed  Judge  Prye  indignantly. 
"I  wonder  that  heirs  ever  get  anything!" 

"It  would  seem  a  matter  of  extreme  uncertainty," 
replied  Mr.  Humble,  "if  this  evidence  may  be  taken 
as  a  criterion  for  the  manner  in  which  executors 
generally  discharge  their  trusts,  but  I  think  that 
such  a  conclusion  would  be  rather  unjust.  I  believe 
that  there  are  many  honest  men  in  the  world  yet." 

"And  so  do  I  believe,"  responded  Judge  Prye 
looking  intently  into  Joshua  Humble's  face.  "I 
know  of  at  least  one  honest  and  brave  man." 

"And  so  do  I  know  of  a  man  of  the  same  char- 
acter," responded  Joshua  Humble  with  a  quiet  smile. 
"  'What  compliments  pass  when  gentlemen  meet !' 
You  are  probably  aware  that  that  is  not  original 
with  me,  but  it  fits  the  present  circumstances  pre- 
cisely;" at  which  the  two  old  gentlemen  laughed  and 
nodded  their  heads  toward  each  other,  as  much  as  to 
say :  "Thou  art  the  man !" 

"But  how  did  you  get  these  photographs?"  in- 
quired Judge  Prye  in  the  usual  tone  of  an  attorney 
interrogating  a  witness,  and  then  observing  a  scarlet 


A  Poacher  Caught.  215 

flush  coming  upon  the  face  of  Joshua  Humble,  he 
added  quickly,  and  in  a  regretful  tone:  "But  don't 
construe  that  question  as  a  doubt,  even  in  the  slight- 
est degree.  I  have  faith  in  you  my  dear  friend — 
perfect  confidence.  For  the  moment,  I  presume,  I 
imagined  myself  in  court  interrogating  a  witness." 

Joshua  Humble  smiled  and  the  scarlet  flush  faded 
from  his  face. 

"Yes,  I  know,"  he  responded  with  slight  confus- 
ion, "and  I  do  not  wonder  that  the  thought  came  to 
you  in  the  nature  of  a  surprise,  for  under  ordinary 
circumstances  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  me 
to  have  secured  these  photographs.  As  you  know, 
there  is  a  photographer  next  door  to  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh's  office,  the  little  old  Frenchman  De  Baun. 
Well,  I  befriended  him  when  he  first  came  to  this 
city  direct  from  the  old  country,  with  a  large  family, 
in  destitute  circumstances,  by  loaning  him  money 
to  enable  him  to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count and  he  has  been  my  steadfast  friend  ever  since. 
Well,  De  Baun  took  these  photographs  for  me  as 
per  previous  arrangements,  when  Miserleigh  was 
out.  He  came  to  the  office  for  the  notes,  photo- 
graphed them  and  brought  them  back,  one  at  a  time, 
during  eighteen  years.  And  the  strangest  part  of 
the  whole  matter  is  this:  Although  there  is  an  ex- 
cellent fire  and  burglar  proof  vault  in  the  office — 
my  office  if  you  please — Sol.  Miserleigh  uses  it  only 
for  the  storage  of  his  account  books  and  kept  these 


216  Joshua  Humble. 

notes  and  many  other  valuable  papers  in  what  he 
pleases  to  term  a  secret  drawer  in  the  desk  which 
he  occupies — my  desk  also  in  the  days  of  my  pros- 
perity. The  drawer,  while  not  discoverable  except 
upon  close  examination,  was  no  secret  to  me  and 
hence  I  experienced  no  difficulty  in  getting  the  pa- 
pers, which  was  accomplished  in  every  instance  when 
Miserleigh  was  at  the  Exchange,  between  eleven  and 
one  o'clock  in  the  day.  These  do  not  comprise  all 
of  the  forgeries ;  there  are  many  more  of  various 
kinds  which  he  successfully  accomplished,  before  the 
idea  occurred  to  me  to  obtain  evidence  against  him 
in  this  manner.  Hence,  whenever  he  took  a  note  I 
had  it  photographed,  thus  obtaining  a  faithful  copy 
of  the  original  and  when  he  raised  the  amount  I 
had  the  note  again  photographed  as  you  see." 

"Wonderful !  You  are  a  wonderful  man,  Joshua 
Humble !"  said  Judge  Prye  in  a  hushed  voice. 

"No,  my  friend,  only  an  ordinary  man  who  sim- 
ply performed  his  duty  faithfully  and  without  fear," 
was  the  modest  reply  of  the  man  who  always  trusted 
in  God  and  never  faltered  in  the  path  of  duty.  "But 
here,"  he  added,  presenting  to  Judge  Prye  the  two 
photographs  which  he  had  retained  in  his  hand,  "here 
is  the  surprise  which  I  promised  you." 

"Judge  Prye  took  the  photographs  from  the  hand 
of  Joshua  Humble  and  at  the  first  glance  gave  vent 
to  an  exclamation  of  intense  amazement.  They 
were  copies  of  the  note  of  William  Barnes  to  Sol. 


A  Poacher  Caught.  217 

Miserleigh,  originally  for  three  thousand  dollars  and 
changed  to  thirty  thousand  dollars,  and  as  Judge 
Prye  examined  the  one  which  had  been  taken  after 
the  amount  had  been  changed,  he  said:  "Why,  Mr. 
Humble,  this  is  bunglingly  executed;"  and  then  as 
he  laid  down  the  photograph  and  glass  he  added: 
"But  tell  me,  what  do  you  think.  Is  he  man  or 
Devil?" 

"He  is  simply  a  man,  devil-possessed,"  replied 
Mr.  Humble. 

"You  are  correct,"  responded  Judge  Prye.  "The 
Devil  would  not  be  guilty  of  such  folly,  he  never 
gets  caught  in  his  own  trap." 

"True,"  said  Mr.  Humble  thoughtfully,"  with  this 
evidence  against  him  in  our  possession  it  seems  to 
be  utterly  impossible  for  Miserleigh  to  escape  the 
penitentiary;  and  when  murder  may  be  added  to  his 
other  crimes,  the  gallows  may  be  his  fate." 

"Murder?"  demanded  Judge  Prye. 

"Yes,  my  friend,  murder!  Have  you  forgotten 
what  Aurelia  said  over  the  body  of  William  Barnes? 
how  she  charged  Sol.  Miserleigh  with  the  murder 
of  William  Barnes'  father?" 

"No,  Mr.  Humble,  I  can  never  forget  that  sad 
and  thrilling  scene,  nor  the  words  of  that  wronged 
and  unfortunate  woman.  I  believed  all  else  she 
said  but  have  never  thought  seriously  of  that  por- 
tion of  her  indictment  of  her  brother.  But  now,  with' 
this  indisputable  evidence  of  his  villainy  before  me, 


218  Joshua  Humble, 

I  am  prepared  to  beleive  him  capable  of  committing 
any  crime,  even  murder." 

"Yes,  even  murder  in  order  to  accomplish  his 
purposes,"  said  Mr.  Humble,  and  then  he  proceeded 
to  explain  to  Judge  Prye,  Sol.  Miserleigh's  criminal 
relations  with  Hairlip  Brown,  Amos  the  Fox,  Lafe 
Steele  and  Jacob  Blum,  and  finally  the  conversation 
drifted  back  to  George  Langdon,  and  it  was  decided 
that  Mr.  Humble  should  answer  Paul  Dyke's  letter 
immediately  in  a  friendy  spirit  and  instruct  him  to 
remain  with  Langdon  until  otherwise  advised.  Then 
Judge  Prye  accompanied  Joshua  Humble  down  stairs 
to  the  front  door  of  the  hall  and  with  the  simple 
grasping  of  hands,  and  the  utterance  of  "those  kind 
old  words :  Good  night,"  they  parted. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 
A  GREAT  CITY  AT  SUNBISE. 

It  was  early  morning  and  white  crisp  snow  which 
had  fallen  during  the  night  lay  deep  over  the  entire 
city.  The  sky  was  cloudless,  and  the  sun  which  was 
just  peeping  above  the  horizon  sent  up  bright  shafts 
of  crimson  and  golden  light,  even  to  the  zenith.  In 
the  residence  portion,  a  few  human  toilers  were 
abroad,  struggling  along  knee-deep  leaving  furrows 
behind  them  like  those  turned  by  the  plow  of  the 
husbandman  upon  the  level  fields  of  the  white  lands 
of  Eastern  Texas.  Save  those  few  early  pedestrians, 
all  else  of  throbbing,  breathing  life  lay  still  in  sleep, 
and  the  great  world  seemed  to  pulsate  in  space. 
"The  witching  hours  when  churchyards  yawn  and 
graves  give  up  their  dead,"  had  glided  away  before 
those  charm-laden  moments  when  even  "perturbed 
spirits"  are  lulled  to  rest,  when  slumber  weighs 
heaviest  upon  human  eyelids  and  death  hath  its  most 
perfect  counterpart  in  still  and  dreamless  repose. 

The  "Three  Graces  of  Satan"  were  abroad  very 
early  that  beautiful  Sabbath  morning.  Having  en- 
tered into  a  copartnership  as  professional  nurses,  and 

(219) 


220  Joshua  Humble. 

having  received  a  call  to  attend  a  member  of  the 
family  of  the  fishwoman  of  the  city  market,  and  the 
patient  being  very  feeble,  their  united  skill  and  wis- 
dom was  deemed  necessary,  and  hence  all  of  them 
had  responded  to  the  summons,  which  came  in  the 
dead  hour  of  night  and  in  the  midst  of  a  furious 
snow  storm.  Inasmuch  as  they  had  not  accum- 
ulated sufficient  means  for  the  purchase  of  a  convey- 
ance for  their  professional  use,  and  by  reason  of  the 
lateness  of  the  hour  and  the  furious  storm,  it  being 
impossible  to  obtain  a  conveyance,  they  were  com- 
pelled to  go  on  foot.  To  the  three  viragoes  the  way 
was  long  and  difficult,  and  the  journey  very  fatiguing, 
for  the  snow,  which  fell  in  clouds  from  the  black 
sky,  beat  violently  into  their  faces  and  sifted  up  un- 
der their  skirts  and  sheathed  their  shoes  with  ice 
and  balled  up  under  their  feet;  and  the  wind  twisted 
them  around  and  knocked  them  together  as  ten  pins 
are  dashed  against  each  other  in  a  bowling  alley. 
At  the  half  way  point  of  their  journey  of  twelve 
long  squares,  Mrs.  Sly  declared  that  she  must  rest, 
and  sat  down  on  a  doorstep  with  her  back  to  the 
storm  and  wheezed  like  a  wind-broken  horse,  while 
Becky  Falser  and  Jerusha  Snuffer  formed  them- 
selves into  a  windbrake  around  her.  By  reason  of 
the  intense  cold,  the  halt  was  brief,  and  as  they 
started  onward  Jerusha  Snuffer  slobberingly  de- 
clared that  she  had  become  a  mere  walking  icicle,  and 
at  that  instant,  as  if  in  confirmation  of  her  declaration 
and  in  spite  of  her  utmost  efforts  to  prevent  the 


A  Great  City  at  Sunrise.  221 

catastrophe,  the  crystal  drop  slipped  from  the  end 
of  her  nose  and  was  forever  lost  in  the  deep  snow. 
Nevertheless,  three  hours  thereafter  as  she  sat  in 
the  warm  sitting  room  of  the  fishwoman  by  the 
bedside  of  the  patient  and  sipped  hot  brandy  and 
water,  another  drop  appeared  on  the  end  of  Miss 
Snffer's  proboscis  and  her  consolation  was  complete. 

It  then  lacked  three  hours  of  daylight  and  the 
fishwoman,  in  anticipation  of  her  visitors'  require- 
ments '  having  prepared  a  luncheon  of  cold  meats, 
bread  and  butter,  cake  and  pie  to  which  she  had 
added  at  the  proper  time  a  large  quantity  of  strong 
hot  tea,  the  three  professors  sat  down  with  her  at 
the  table  and  bolted  large  quantities  of  food  into 
their  capacious  stomachs.  This  they  did  in  silence 
until  they  could  contain  no  more  without  loosening 
their  clothing,  and  then  they  laid  down  their  knives 
and  forks  and  began  to  sip  scalding  hot  tea  and  to 
gossip. 

To  the  three  nurses  the  fishwoman  was  a  valuable 
mine  of  interesting  information  concerning  people 
high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  sick  and  well,  alive  and 
dead;  and  contrary  to  their  usual  wont,  they  were 
content  to  gather  in  and  coin  in  their  brains  the 
wealth  of  information  which  she  yielded  up  to  them 
without  so  much  as  an  effort  on  their  part,  while 
they  tanned  their  stomachs  with  tea.  After  a  long 
rambling  dissertation  concerning  the  Miserleigh- 
Barnes  affair,  during  which  she  astonished  them 


222  Joshua  Humble. 

with  her  intimate  knowledge  of  the  circumstances  of 
the  case,  and  from  which  they  gathered  many  new 
and  valuable  items  of  information,  the  fisherwoman 
paused  to  take  breath,  Mrs.  Sly,  evidently  jealous  of 
her  knowledge  of  the  subject,  turned  to  her  associ- 
ates and  said: 

"I  guess,  women,  we  know  something  about  that 
matter  too— Eh?" 

"In  course  we  does,"  they  both  responded  as 
with  one  voice. 

"And  what  do  you  say  to  my  opening  her  peepers 
a  bit,  Eh?" 

The  propostion  was  agreed  to  unanimously,  and 
then  Mrs.  Sly  proceeded  to  repeat  Mother  Hurt's 
narrative  complete  and  ended  by  saying:  "But  the 
greatest  mystery  of  the  whole  affair  is,  what  became 
of  the  children  afterwards?" 

The  fishwoman  smiled  derisively.  She  could  "go 
them  one  better  on  that"  she  said  and  rocked  her 
huge  body  from  side  to  side  in  her  very  excess  of 
gratification.  Then  she  proceeded  to  tell  the  story 
of  the  boy's  adoption  and  education  by  a  wealthy 
gentleman  whom  she  named,  and  then  she  tolcf  of  the 
girl's  wanderings  and  wretched  life  and  of  her  rescue 
by  Jacob  Blum,  and  ended  by  saying: 

And  now  women,  I  got  all  this  information  my- 
self at  my  fishstall,  a  little  bit  at  a  time,  from  this 
one  and  from  that  one,  who  came  to  buy  fish;  and 
I  figured  it  all  out  by  myself,  and  put  it  all  together, 


Jt  Great  City  at  Sunrise.  223 

and  now  you  have  the  whole  story  complete — and  it 
isn't  second  handed  either.  And  now  I'll  go  you  one 
better  still.  Now  hold  your  breath,  everyone  of  you, 
or  you'll  bust  wide  open  with  surprise.  Are  you  all 
ready?  Well  them:" 

"William  Barnes  was  murdered!" 

"Murdered?"  they  all  exclaimed  in  chorus. 

"Yes,  murdered  by  that  boy  Langdon." 

"How  do  you  know?"  they  all  demanded  in 
unison. 

"Know?  Well  enough!  As  well  as  it  is  possible 
to  know  anything  which  I  do  not  actually  see.  I 
got  it  from  one  of  the  richest  men  in  the  city." 

"What  is  his  name?"  demanded  Mrs.  Sly  wheez- 
ingly,  in  a  half  whisper. 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you  women,  but  you  mustn't  tell, 
for  I  promised  him  not  to  connect  his  name  with  the 
story.  He  said  I  might  tell  the  tale  as  often  as  I 
liked,  but  to  keep  his  name  out  of  it;  and  so  must 
you,  will  you?" 

"In  course  we  will!"  said  Mrs.  Sly,  and  her  two 
associates,  murmured  approval. 

"Well  then,"  said  the  fishwoman,  "his  name  is 
Sol.  Miserleigh!" 

While  yet  they  talked,  daylight  began  to  appear 
in  a  faint  flush  upon  the  eastern  sky  which  was 
visible  from  a  window  of  the  room  in  which  they  sat, 
and  the  patient  requiring  the  attention  of  her 
mother,  the  "Three  Graces  of  Satan"  took  their  de- 


224  Joshua  Humble. 

parture,  and  hence,  they  were  abroad  very  early  that 
quiet  Sabbath  morning.  As  they  struggled  along 
through  the  snow,  they  were  too  busy  with  their  own 
thoughts  concerning  the  fishwoman's  revelations 
with  reference  to  the  Miserleigh-Barnes  affair  to  en- 
gage in  conversation,  and  so  they  walked  along  in 
silence.  But  when  they  arrived  at  the  residence  of 
Mrs.  Sly,  Becky  Falser  and  Jerusha  Snuffer  went  in 
with  her  to  warm  by  the  fire  which  she  had  covered 
with  ashes  before  her  departure  and  only  required 
to  be  stirred  with  a  poker  to  burst  into  flame.  As 
they  sat  before  the  fire  enjoying  its  warmth,  Mrs. 
Sly  brought  from  the  cupboard  a  bottle  full  of  am- 
ber colored  liquid  and  three  glasses;  also  a  pitcher 
of  water  and  a  bowl  of  sugar,  drew  a  stand  up  be- 
fore the  fire,  placed  the  articles  upon  it  and  said: 

"Here  women,  take  a  sniff  of  'oh-be-joyful'  and 
a  big  one  at  that,  or  you'll  have  a  death  cold  from 
this  night's  doin's." 

Falser  and  Snuffer  required  not  a  second  invita- 
tion, and  so  they  mixed  and  drank,  and  mixed  and 
drank  again  and  continued  to  mix  and  drink  the  soul- 
destroying  potion ;  and  in  the  meantime  they  talked, 
first  in  their  ordinary  tones,  then  louder  and  still 
louder,  going  over  in  detail  and  discussing  at  length 
the  fishwoman's  revelations  coupled  with  the  story 
of  Mother  Hurt,  until  both  the  subject  and  their 
voices  were  completely  exhausted,  and  then  Falser 
and  Snuffer  departed  and  went  staggering  home- 
ward and  Mrs.  Sly  went  staggering  to  bed. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

A  MARVELOUS  PERSONAL  TRANSFORMATION  AND 
ITS  KISTOBT. 

Mrs.  O'Keefe,  in  her  own  bedroom  separated 
from  the  Sly  apartments  only  by  a  thin  board  parti- 
tion, had  heard  the  entire  conversation,  and  she  was 
surprised  and  shocked  beyond  measure,  especially 
by  that  portion  of  it  relative  to  the  cause  of  the  death 
of  William  Barnes ;  therefore  after  she  had  attended 
mass,  accompanied  by  her  two  stalwart  sons  and  had 
washed  and  put  away  the  breakfast  dishes,  accom- 
panied by  her  eldest  son,  Denney,  she  repaired  to 
the  residence  of  her  steadfast  friend  and  former 
employer,  Joshua  Humble,  and  related  to  him  in 
every  particular  the  conversation  of  her  neighbor 
and  associates. 

Joshua  Humble  listened  gravely  and  in  silence 
to  his  former  housekeeper's  recital,  and  when  she 
had  concluded  he  said: 

"This  is  important,  Katie — very  important,  and 
may  furnish  a  clew  to  a  speedy  solution  of  this  dread- 
ful mystery.  It  is  possible  that  William  Barnes  was 
murdered,  for  as  you  know,  there  .was  no  post- 

[15]  (325) 


226  Joshua  Humble. 

mortem  examination  of  his  remains,  it  being  taken 
for  granted  that  he  died  of  heart  disease  as  he  had 
been  under  medical  treatment  for  that  malady  for 
several  years.  But  if  he  was  murdered,  George 
Langdon  is  guiltless  of  the  crime,  and  Barnes  was 
the  victim  of  a  conspiracy  against  his  life  and  fortune. 
As  for  the  girl,  whom  these  women  believe  to  be 
the  daughter  of  Aurelia,  her  identity  may  be  easily 
established  if  even  one-tenth  part  of  what  these  gos- 
sips say  concerning  her  be  true."  As  he  followed  her 
to  the  door  and  kindly  took  her  hand  in  parting  he 
added:  "Do  not  mention  this  subject  to  anyone. 
It  is  important  that  the  fact  that  you  having  over- 
heard this  conversation  should  not  be  known." 

About  eight  o'clock  on  the  following  morning, 
Joshua  Humble  appeared  at  the  office  of  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh  dressed,  not  in  his  usual  business  suit  of  coarse 
material,  but  in  a  handsome  suit  of  Scotch  tweed, 
new  glistening  silk  hat  of  the  best  quality  and  style, 
and  brown  English  melton  great  coat,  with  fur 
muffler  and  gloves  of  otter  skin.  These  articles  had 
been  presented  to  him  by  his  loving  old  sister  and 
little  Alice,  jointly,  on  his  return  from  his  interview 
with  Judge  Prye  on  the  previous  Saturday  night, 
and  represented  the  savings  of  years,  penny  by 
penny,  of  the  two  loving  donors — saved  for  that  very 
purpose — the  purchase  of  that  identical  suit  of 
clothes,  to  be  presented  to  him  on  that  day,  the  glor- 
ious day  of  his  emancipation! 


A  Marvelous  Transformation.       227 

It  was  ten  o'clock,  and  the  great  bell  in  the  lofty 
tower  of  a  church  a  few  squares  distant  was  solemnly 
tolling  the  hour,  as  Joshua  Humble  stepped  into  the 
sitting  room  of  his  home  that  memorable  Saturday 
night,  and,  much  to  his  surprise,  found  little  Alid? 
sitting  in  her  willow  rocker  before  the  fire,  her  large 
eyes  wide  open  and  very  bright,  holding  in  her  arms 
her  favorite  dolly  arrayed  in  the  new  dress  which 
her  good  auntie  had  made  during  her  grandpa's  ab- 
sence. She  had  not  heard  him  enter  the  hall  from 
the  street  and  therefore  her  first  intimation  of  his 
rturn  was  the  sound  of  the  opening  door  as  he  enter- 
ed the  sitting  room.  Turning  quickly,  she  beheld 
her  grandpa  standing  just  within  the  doorway,  with 
his  hand  still  on  the  knob,  and  with  joyous  cry  she 
sprang  toward  him,  and  was  enfolded  in  his  arms. 
His  good  sister  sat  still  in  her  easy  chair  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  fire  and  smiled,  as  only  she  could 
smile,  with  more  of  heaven  than  earth  in  the  ex- 
pression of  her  lovely  old  face — so  like  the  noble  face 
of  her  brother,  and  after  the  first  joyous  greeting 
was  over  and  little  Alice  had  nestled  her  head  upon 
his  shoulder,  with  her  arms  clasped  about  his  neck, 
Joshua  Humble  sat  down  by  his  sister's  side  and  be- 
gan to  marvel  about  little  Alice  being  able  to  remain 
awake,  as  the  usual  hour  for  her  retirement  was 
eight. 

"But  this  is  an  unusual  occasion,  Joshua,"  re- 


228  Joshua  Humble. 

plied  his  sister,  still  smiling;  "it  is  the  beginning  of 
a  new  life  for  us  all." 

"Yes,"  .he  said,  and  could  say  no  more.  , 

"And  Alice  has  a  little  surprise  for  you,"  said  his 
sister,  looking  aside  to  hide  her  tears. 

"Oh  yes,  grandpa  dear,"  said  Alice,  as  she  crept 
down  out  of  his  arms,  and  ran  to  the  opposite  side 
of  the  room  where  two  chairs  had  been  placed  to- 
gether with  a  snow-white  counterpane  thrown  over 
them,  "look  here  what  Auntie,  my  dear  good  Auntie, 
has  had  made  for  you."  Then  with  quick  nervous 
hands  she  dashed  the  counterpane  aside,  and  there, 
carefully  folded  upon  the  chairs  lay  the  suit  of  cloth- 
ing, in  the  making  of  which  an  expert  tailor  had  been 
employed.  The  scene  which  followed  is  indescrib- 
able: the  joyous  caperings  of  little  Alice  as  she 
brought  the  articles  of  clothing  one  by  one  and 
placed  them  on  her  grandpa's  knees,  for  his  inspec- 
tion; his  tremulous  responses  to  her  questions  while 
tears  coursed  down  his  face;  the  silent  joyful  weep- 
ing of  his  loving  sister  who  had  been  unable  to  rise 
from  her  chair  to  assist  little  Alice  in  the  presenta- 
tion of  the  gifts.  Finally,  when  the  two  old  people 
had,  in  a  measure,  regained  their  usual  calmness, 
little  Alice  succeeded  in  her  efforts  to  induce  her 
grandpa  to  try  on  the  clothing,  and,  much  to  the 
gratification  of  all  of  them,  the  fit  was  perfect. 

"Ah,  how  beautiful  you  are  now!  and  how  great 
and  grand  you  look!"  exclaimed  the  child  gleefully, 


Jt  Marvelous  Transformation.       229 

clapping  her  tiny  hands  and  stepping  backward  to 
obtain  a  better  view  of  him;  and  then  after  a  mo- 
ment's hesitation,  she  ran  to  him  and  placing  one  of 
her  hands  in  his  and  the  other  upon  his  arm,  she 
looked  up  into  his  face  tenderly  and  added  in  a  low 
emotional  voice:  "but  I  love  you,  Grandpa,  in  your 
old  worn  clothes  just  as  dearly  as  in  the  new." 

And  thus  it  happened  that  Joshua  Humble  was 
enabled  that  Monday  morning  to  appear  at  Sol.  Mis- 
erleigh's  office  in  that  handsome  new  suit  of  clothes, 
much  to  the  astonishment  of  his  employer,  who  at 
first  glance  wholly  failed  to  recognize  him,  and  who 
was  so  surprised  by  Mr.  Humble's  wonderful  trans- 
formation that,  for  some  moments,  he  was  speech- 
less with  amazement.  Finally,  however,  he  found 
voice,  but  it  was  not  of  that  rasping  insolent  tone  in 
which  he  had  so  long  been  accustomed  to  address 
the  majestic  man  who  stood  calmly  before  him,  but 
it  was  in  a  pleasing  deferential  voice  that  he  said : 

"Ah,  Mr.  Humble,  I  must  congratulate  you  on 
your  improved — your  greatly  improved  appearance. 
That  is  just  as  it  should  be." 

"Simply  the  first  movement  in  putting  off  the 
old  and  taking  on  the  new,"  was  the  quiet  dignified 
answer. 

"Ah,  yes,  Mr.  Humble,  you  see  I  have  a  man  al- 
ready in  your  old  position,"  pointing  jpver  his 
shoulder  with  the  thumb  of  his  right  hand  to  the  tall 
desk  where  a  long,  lank,  withered  individual  was 


230  Joshua  Humble. 

perched  upon  a  high  stool  bending  over  an  account 
book  and  industriously  scratching  away  upon  it  with 
a  steel  pen.  "A  Mr.  Grubb — ahem!  here  are  some 
papers  for  you  to  look  over  and  dispose  of  at  your 
leisure  Mr.  Humble,  and  here  are  the  keys  to  your 
desk." 

With  a  polite  bow,  so  like  his  old  self,  Mr.  Hum- 
ble took  the  papers  and  keys  from  the  hands  of  Sol. 
Miserleigfh,  went  quietly  to  his  desk,  opened  it,  sat 
down  and  at  once  proceeded  to  examine  the  papers. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
AN  ELASTIC  CONSCIENCE  SCOURGED  BY  ITS  OWN  GUILT. 

Thus  began  Joshua  Mumble's  first  day  of  labor 
as  a  free  man,  and  he  applied  himself  to  the  perform- 
ance of  his  new  duties  with  the  same  patient  earnest- 
ness as  he  had  done  in  the  days  of  his  bondage, 
in  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  a  mortgaged 
menial.  He  was  simply  doing  his  whole  duty — hon- 
estly earning  the  money  which  he  expected  to  re- 
ceive in  compensation  for  his  services.  During  the 
forenoon  while  Sol.  Miserleigh  was  temporarily  ab- 
sent from  the  office,  a  young  man  whom  Mr.  Hum- 
ble had  observed  standing  on  the  pavement  in  front 
of  the  office  looking  wistfully  in  at  the  window,  en- 
tered the  office  hurriedly  and  approaching  Mr.  Hum- 
ble's  desk,  handed  him  a  sealed  addressed  envelope, 
saying  merely :  "This  is  for  you  sir,"  and  immediately 
departed.  When  Joshua  Humble  broke  the  seal, 
great  was  his  surprise  to  find  that  the  envelope  con- 
tained a  Stock  Exchange  certificate  of  membership 
in  his  name,  of  recent  date,  and  the  following  scrib- 
bled in  a  cramped  handwriting  on  a  scrap  of  wrap- 
ping paper: 

"Dear  Friend,   Joshua   Humble — The   enclosed1 

(231) 


232  Joshua  Humble. 

certificate  is  from  the  man  whom  you  befriended 
when  he  had  no  friends  on  this  side  of  the  ocean,  and 
no  money.  Accept  this  as  a  gift  from  me,  not  only 
as  a  token  of  my  gratitude  to  you,  for  your  gener- 
ous kindness  to  me  when  there  was  nothing  for  you 
to  gain  thereby,  but  of  my  faithful  friendship  for  you, 
and  my  earnest  desire  to  contribute  in  some  degree 
to  your  future  success  and  happiness  which  I  pray 
God  to  send  to  you  speedily. 

Gratefully  and  faithfully  yours, 

L.   Vincent   De   Baun." 

"What  an  honest,  faithful  and  grateful  soul!" 
said  Mr.  Humble  as  he  folded  up  the  letter  and  its 
enclosure,  returned  them  to  the  envelope  and  put  it 
in  his  pocket. 

"Did  you  speak  to  me  sir?"  inquired  Mr.  Grubb, 
turning  around  on  his  high  stool. 

"No,  Mr.  Grubb,  I  was  only  thinking  aloud," 
replied  Joshua  Humble  glancing  around  at  the  long 
lank  form  upon  the  stool  and  smiling,  as  for  the  first 
time  he  observed  that  peculiar  individual's  redicu- 
lous  make  up.  He  was  indeed  a  most  comical  ap- 
pearing person.  His  face  was  long  and  thin,  his  nose 
was  long  and  large  and  very  red,  his  eyes  were  small 
and  bright,  or  at  least  so  was  the  one  visible,  and 
little  tuft  of  wiry  blonde  beard  about  three  inches 
in  length  grew  upon  the  extreme  point  of  his  peaked 
chin;  over  his  left  eye  suspended  by  a  string  around 
his  head,  was  a  flap  of  dark  green  oil  cloth  and  his 
hair,  which  was  fiery  redz  and  about  one  inch  in 


A  Guilty  Conscience  Scourged.       233 

length  stood  literally  on  ends.  Mr.  Humble's  smile 
broadened  as  he  gazed  upon  that  singular  creature, 
and  as  he  did  not  wish  to  laugh  in  the  man's  face, 
he  turned  around  to  his  desk  to  resume  his  labors. 

"Ahem!  What  do  you  think  of  my  make  up 
anyhow?"  inquired  Mr.  Grubb  as  he  slipped  down 
from  his  stool  and  glided  over  to  Mr.  Humble's  side. 
"My  hair  is  colored  and  so  is  my  nose,  and  this  patch 
over  my  eye  is  not  at  all  necessary  for  that  optic 
is  as  good  as  its  mate,  and  these  whiskers  are  merely 
stuck  on  with  wax — and  lastly  my  name  is  not 
Grubb." 

.  "Well  then,  who  are  you,  and  why  are  you  mas- 
querading in  that  fashion?"  demanded  Mr.  Humble 
sternly,  as  he  swung  around  in  his  chair. 

"Hush!  not  so  loud  Mr.  Humble,  if  you  please," 
was  the  quick  reply.  I  am  here  at  the  instance 
of  Judge  Prye,  so  that  the  crimnal  may  not  escape. 
It  is  necessary  for  me  to  enlighten  you  on  the  sub- 
ject, that  is  all,"  and  he  returned  to  his  desk  and 
climbed  up  on  his  stool,  and  not  a  moment  too  soon, 
for  he  had  not  written  a  dozen  words  before  Sol. 
Miserleigh  entered  the  office.  »  . 

At  noon  precisely,  Joshua  Humble  closed  his  desk, 
arose  from  his  chair,  put  on  his  great  coat  and  hat, 
went  out  upon  the  pavement  and  sauntered  leisurely 
down  the  street  until  he  came  to  an  old  and  popular 
restaurant  which  he  entered,  sat  down  at  a  table 
and  ordered  his  dinner,  just  as  he  had  done  twenty- 


234  Joshua  Humble. 

five  years  before  on  that  very  day  of  the  month  and 
the  same  month  of  the  year,  the  last  day  of  his  free- 
dom, and  which  he  had  done  on  every  business  day 
for  many  years  previous  to  that  time.  As  he  sat 
waiting  for  his  dinner  to  be  served  he  glanced  around 
the  room  to  note  the  changes  which  had  taken  place 
during  the  long  period  of  his  absence.  The  room 
and  its  arrangement  were  apparently  unchanged; 
the  tables,  the  chairs,  the  dishes  and  cutlery,  and 
even  the  servants  seemed  perfectly  familiar  to  him, 
although  he  well  knew  that  those  who  had  served 
him  there  in  the  days  of  his  prosperity  had  long 
since  gone  away,  and  many  of  them  long  since  dead 
and  forgotten.  But  as  he  glanced  over  at  the  office, 
there  at  his  desk  sat  the  old  proprietor,  but  little 
changed — only  grown  a  trifle  heavier  and  grayer  but 
still  fresh  and  rosy  as  in  the  days  of  the  long  ago. 
While  these  thoughts  were  passing  through  his  mind 
the  servant  came  with  his  dinner,  and  at  that  mo- 
ment also  Sol.  Miserleigh  entered  the  room  and 
observing  Mr.  Humble  he  stopped  short,  evidently 
greatly  surprised.  He  could  account  for  Mr.  Hum- 
ble's  new  suit  of  clothes  and  forgive  him  therefor, 
but  a  dinner  at  the  price  of  one  dollar!  that  was 
too  much  for  him  to  comprehend  on  such  short 
notice.  However,  after  his  shock  of  astonishment 
had  somewhat  subsided,  Sol.  Miserleigh  bowed  to 
Mr.  Humble  and  sat  down  at  a  table  on  the  oppo-. 
site  side  of  the  room  and  in  a  low  voice  ordered  his 


A  Guilty  Conscience  Scourged.       235 

dinner.  While  he  was  waiting  for  it  he  glanced  at 
Mr.  Humble  from  the  corner  of  his  eye  and  observed 
him  eating  in  the  manner  of  a  cultured  gentleman, 
and  evidently  with  great  satisfaction,  and  a  fierce 
tempest  of  jealous  anger  raged  in  his  heart. 

"He  is  evidently  far  beyond  my  grasp.  At  a  sin- 
gle bound  he  has  passed  the  limits  of  my  power  and 
influence  and  now  scornfully  defiies  me.  He  is  in- 
deed a  wonderful  man,  powerful  in  both  mind  and 
body,  and  henceforth  will  be  to  me  a  constant  source 
of  danger.  While  he  lives  I  shall  never  be  safe  even 
a  single  moment.  Why  have  I  delayed  so  long? 
Curses  on  my  cowardice!  Why  do  I  tremble  with 
fear  in  his  presence  and  can  scarcely  refrain  from 
getting  down  on  my  knees  to  him?"  The  the  waiter 
came  with  his  dinner  and  he  began  to  eat — more  like 
a  beast  than  a  human,  as  indeed  beast  he  was,  dip- 
ping into  the  food  with  his  fingers  and  gnawing  and 
crunching  the  bones  like  a  famished  dog.  He  was 
endeavoring  to  get  the  full  value  of  his  dollar! 

While  Miserleigh  was  in  the  midst  of  his  dinner 
Joshua  Humble  arose  from  the  table,  sauntered  leis- 
urely to  the  office  counter,  paid  for  his  dinner,  ex- 
changed a  few  pleasant  words  with  the  proprietor 
who  instantly  recognized  and  warmly  congratulated 
him,  and  then  Mr.  Humble  passed  out  upon  the 
street.  As  he  walked  slowly  along  with  the  dignified 
bearing  and  leisure  of  a  gentleman  of  opulence,  his 
old  and  natural  manner,  he  met  several  of  his  former 


236  Joshua  Humble. 

business  acquaintances  and  accepted  their  kind  greet- 
ings and  congratulations  with  the  ease  and  grace  of 
one  who  receives  what  is  justly  his  due,  and  yet 
with  a  kidly  and  delicate  appreciation  of  the  same. 
At  one  o'clock  Mr.  Humble  entered  the  Stock  Ex- 
change and  was  immediately  recognized  by  the  older 
members  who  gathered  around  and  congratulated 
him  warmly  on  his  reappearance  there  as  a  member, 
and  freely  offered  him  pecuniary  assistance  to  en- 
able him  to  operate  again  on  his  own  account.  To 
all,  he  gave  the  same  answer :  *  % 

"Not  now,  my  good  friends,  not  now,  but  after 
a  time  when  I  can  fully  grasp  the  new  order  of  busi- 
ness. You  must  remember  that  in  a  business  sense 
I  have  been  sleeping  a  quarter  of  a  century  and 
therefore,  in  that  relation,  I  am  a  veritable  Rip  Van 
Winkle." 

While  Joshua  Humble  was  the  center  of  interest 
and  attraction  for  all  of  the  older  and  many  of  the 
newer  members  of  the  exchange,  Sol.  Miserleigh  en- 
tered and  beholding  Mr.  Humble  surrounded  by  and 
receiving  the  congratulations  of  all  of  the  more 
wealthy  members  present,  his  astonishment  was  be- 
yond limit  or  measure.  At  the  first  glance  he  com- 
prehended the  situation  and  paused  as  though  un- 
decided whether  to  retreat  precipitately,  or  to  boldly 
advance  and  brave  the  trying  ordeal  which  he  knew 
awaited  him  in  the  form  of  sneers  and  scornful 
glances  from  all  those  who  knew  the  history  of 


Jl  Guilty  Conscience  Scourged.       237 

Joshua  Humble's  downfall  and  humiliation.  Finally 
he  chose  the  middle  course,  and  went  sneaking 
around,  attending  to  his  business  here  and  there, 
with  this  person  and  then  with  that  person,  and  all 
in  nervous  haste  as  though  fleeing  from  some  fright- 
ful danger,  with  every  limb  shackled.  His  mind  was 
a  steed  in  flight  at  its  utmost  speed  and  his  guilty 
conscience  was  its  pitiless  rider,  urging  it  onward 
with  the  whip  and  spur  of  vengeance  through  a 
mental  night  of  storm  and  darkness. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 
PUTTING  TOGETHER  THIS  AND  THAT. 

A  mysterious  and  startling  rumor  came  from  the 
lowest  level  of  society  and  echoed  through  the  vari- 
ous grades  thereof,  until  it  reached  the  upper  circles 
where  it  buzzed  into  every  ear  and  echoed  from 
every  lip.  It  was  an  accusation  against  a  mere  boy, 
who,  as  the  story  ran,  had  fled  from  the  city  imme- 
diately after  the  commission  of  the  crime — the  mur- 
der of  his  uncle  by  poisoning.  But,  strange  though 
it  may  seem,  nevertheless  it  is  true,  that  nobody, 
even  of  the  lowest  social  level  believed  for  one  mo- 
ment that  George  Langdon  was  guilty  of  the  crime, 
while  none  doubted  that  William  Barnes  had  been 
murdered,  notwithstanding  the  verdict  of  the  physi- 
cians that  his  death  was  occasioned  by  heart  dis- 
ease. Therefore  when  the  rumor  reached  police 
headquarters  through  a  burley  Irish  policeman  who 
had  heard  it  in  a  low  grogshop  on  the  Levee,  the 
chief  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  took  the  cigar  from 
his  mouth,  blew  a  pearly  cloud  of  smoke  above  his 
head  and  laughingly  replied: 

"Nonsense — nonsense  McGinnis,  that's  old,  very 

(238) 


Putting  Together  This  and  That.     239 

aged  indeed — mere  rot!  I  investigated  that  fish- 
woman's  gossip,  and  know  that  there  is  nothing  in 
it  except  the  possibility  that  William  Barnes  was 
poisoned.  As  for  Langdon  being  guilty  of  the  crime 
that  idea  is  absolutely  absurd.  Why,  Mack,  he  had 
not  been  at  home  for  two  weeks  previous  to  the 
death  of  Barnes.  He  had  been  dissipating  a  little 
and  being  a  'tenderfoot'  in  that  line  was  ashamed 
to  go  home  and  face  his  uncle,  who  had  been  in- 
formed concerning  some  of  his  trifling  irregularities. 
So  you  see  at  once  that  that  part  of  the  story  is  ab- 
solutely false;  and  now  all  that  remains  to  be  con- 
sidered is  its  origin.  Ahem!  let  me  see  a — h,  Sol. 
Miserleigh !  Why  he  should  originate  and  circulate 
that  cock  and  bull  story  and  especially  to  that  old 
fishwoman  is  what  knocks  me  silly.  Ah — ha !  unless 
— ahem !  You  may  go  now  McGinnis,  it's  all  bosh !" 
and  as  the  officer  waddled  out  of  the  room  the  cap- 
tain rocked  back  in  his  chair,  put  his  feet  on  top  of 
his  desk,  gazed  at  the  ceiling  intently,  twisted  his 
nose  with  the  fingers  of  his  left  hand,  wrinkled  his 
brow  thoughtfully  and  in  a  low  tone  gave  utterance 
to  his  meditations  in  these  words: 

"Sol.  Miserleigh— whew !  Why  didn't  I  think  of 
that  before?  I  beleive  I've  struck  a  lead.  He  first 
told  the  story  to  the  old  fishwoman  with  strict  in- 
junction not  to  tell  who  told  her,  but  with  permis- 
sion to  scatter  the  lie  broadcast  among  the  gossips. 
To  presume  that  Sol.  Miserleigh  had  no  special  mo- 
tive in  the  invention  and  circulation  of  the  slander 


240  Joshua  Humble. 

'•"  * 

against  young  Langdon  would  be  ridiculously  ab- 
surd, for  the  villainous  old  rascal  is  always  fright- 
fully in  earnest  and  hews  straight  to  the  line. 
Furthermore,  he  is  a  skillful  strategist  and  works  his 
schemes  by  indirection  and  when  he  fixed  the  crime 
upon  young  Langdon  and  endeavored  to  use  against 
him  the  fact  of  his  departure  from  the  city  on  the 
morning  of  his  uncle's  death,  it  was  but  the  shadow 
of  a  deep  laid  scheme  in  which  he  himself  was  the 
prime  actor.  What  that  scheme  is — its  character 
and  motive  remains  for  Grubb  to  discover,  and  we 
can  only  watch  and  wait  and  weave  our  snare  as  the 
thread  of  circumstance  is  reeled  off  to  us  straight 
and  strong  from  the  tangled  skein  of  facts.  That 
William  Barnes  was  poisoned  to  death  was  ascer- 
tained beyond  doubt  by  the  autopsy  of  his  remains 
yesterday.  It  seemed  cruel  to  drag  the  poor  fellow 
from  his  grave,  and  carve  him  up,  but  this  ugly  rumor 
rendered  an  investigation  necessary,  and  thus  the 
truth  was  brought  to  light." 

At  that  moment  the  Coroner  and  the  Judge  of  the 
Criminal  Court  in  their  respective  offices,  and  Judge 
Prye  in  his  library  at  his  home,  were  indulging  in  the 
same  train  of  reflection,  and  Joshua  Humble  and 
Mr.  Grubb  were  each  silently  employed  with  their 
respective  office  duties,  and  Sol.  Miserleigh  stood 
at  the  counter  of  the  telegraph  office  writing  this 
message  to  Sam  Slick,  namely: 

"Fix  Langdon  safe  and  come  here  immediately 
for  conference." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
STABTLING  IKFOBMATIOST  BY  AMOS  THE  Fox. 

With  nervous  haste  and  trembling  hands  he  scrib- 
bled the  words  with  the  stump  of  a  pencil  upon  a 
telegraph  blank,  prepared  the  message  to  Sam  Slick 
and  hurried  away.  His  face  was  flushed  and  his  eyes 
bloodshot  and  as  he  ambled  along  the  crowded  thor- 
oughfare, he  reeled  like  one  under  the  influence  of 
an  intoxicant.  He  moved  along,  first  on  the  right 
and  then  on  the  left  side  of  the  pavement,  now  en- 
deavoring to  stem  the  human  tide  flowing  in  the 
opposite  direction  and  being  buffeted  and  cast  aside 
like  a  floating  log  at  the  head  of  an  eddy  in  a  swift 
flowing  river,  and  then  gliding  along  with  the  cur- 
rent, in  and  out,  here  and  there,  shivering,  panting, 
crouching  as  in  great  mental  anguish  and  excite- 
ment, as  though  endeavoring  to  escape  observation, 
as  though  fleeing  in  hot  haste  from  the  presence 
of  a  just  and  relentless  avenger. 

He  had  just  heard  the  rumor  which  had  been 
floating  over  the  city:  the  ugly  rumor  concerning 
the  cause  of  the  death  of  William  Barnes,  and  he  in- 
stantly perceived  that  he  had  sown  a  gentle  breeze 

[16]  (241) 


242  Joshua  Humble. 

of  suspicion  only  to  reap  a  terrible  tempest  of  accu- 
sation which  threatened  the  utter  destruction  of  its 
creator,  leaving  all  else  unharmed.  The  rumor  had 
been  brought  to  him  on  the  street,  by  Amos  the  Fox, 
who  by  signs,  drew  him  into  an  unfrequented  alley- 
way, and  in  nervous  haste  told  him  the  story  in  mi- 
nute details  and  also  communicated  the  additional 
information,  that  by  direction  of  the  Judge  of  the 
criminal  court  the  body  of  William  Barnes  had  been 
secretly  exhumed  and  exaimned  by  the  coroner, 
aided  by  skillful  physicians,  resulting  in  the  discov- 
ery that  death  was  occasioned  by  poison.  This  latter 
information  Amos  the  Fox  had  just  obtained  from  a 
servant  of  the  coroner,  who  was  present  at,  and 
assisted  in  the  autopsy — a  new  recruit  and  outside 
member  of  the  gang  of  rogues  of  which  Hairlip 
Brown  was  the  chief.  All  this  was  news  to  Sol.  Mis- 
erleigh  as  he  had  not  heard  even  the  rumored  accu- 
sation against  George  Langdon  with  which  his  own 
name  was  associated  in  connection  with  those  of  the 
fishwoman,  and  the  "Three  Graces  of  Satan,"  and  he 
was  speechless  with  amazement,  and  stricken  with 
terror,  and  before  he  could  command  his  voice  to 
answer,  Amos  the  Fox  had  hurried  away  and  disap- 
peared amid  the  crowd  of  people  on  the  street,  hurry- 
ing homeward  to  rest  from  the  toils  and  vexations 
of  the  day. 

For  ten  minutes  Sol.  Miserleigh  paced  up  and 
down  the  dark  alleyway  utterly  bewildered  and  un- 


Startling  Information.  243 

X 

nerved.  His  usual  insolent  aggressiveness  and  self- 
confidence  had  entirely  vanished,  the  ground  seemed 
to  be  sinking  beneath  his  feet,  and  visions  of  prison 
and  gallows  floated  across  his  brain.  Two  cold  dead 
faces — those  of  the  father  and  son  whom  he  had 
murdered,  seemed  to  be  pressed  against  his  own, 
and  each  with  an  arm  clasped  about  his  neck,  seemed 
to  be  endeavoring  to  drag  him  down  into  the  awful 
chasm  which  was  opening  beneath  his  feet.  Ten 
minutes  longer  he  paced  to  and  fro,  moaning  and 
blaspheming,  and  then,  having  in  a  measure  regained 
his  composure,  he  passed  out  of  the  alleyway  and 
down  the  street  to  the  telegraph  office  where  he 
wrote  the  message  to  Sam  Slick.  It  was  nearly  six 
o'clock  when  Sol.  Miserleigh  entered  his  office. 
Joshua  Humble  had  gone  home  and  Mr.  Grubb, 
having  put  away  his  books  and  lighted  the  gas,  was 
perched  upon  his  stool  awaiting  his  employer's  re- 
turn. 

"Go!"  said  Miserleigh  roughly,  nodding  his  head 
impatiently  toward  Mr.  Grubb  and  pointing  with  the 
thumb  of  his  left  hand  over  his  shoulder  toward  the 
door.  Mr.  Grubb  did  not  require  the  second  invita- 
tion to  lay  down  his  burden  of  toil,  nor  did  he  love 
his  master  sufficiently  to  wish  to  remain  in  his  pres- 
ence one  moment  more  than  necessary,  and  hence  he 
obeyed  with  alacrity. 

Five  minutes  Sol.  Miserleigh  stood  still  in  the 
center  of  his  office  looking  down  upon  the  floor  and 


244  Joshua  Humble. 

breathing  heavily.  Like  a  general  in  battle  sur- 
rounded by  his  enemies  and  upon  the  point  of  cap- 
ture, he  was  thinking — planning  a  bold  dash  for 
safety  and  liberty.  Finally,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  he 
removed  his  gloves  and  thrust  them  into  the  pockets 
of  his  great  coat,  went  to  his  desk,  opened  his  secret 
drawer,  took  from  it  a  large  roll  of  bank  notes, 
cloesd  and  locked  his  desk,  turned  out  the  gas, 
passed  out  upon  the  street,  locked  the  office  door 
and  hurried  away.  Half  an  hour  later  he  entered 
the  second-hand  clothing  store  of  Jacob  Blum  where 
he  found  the  old  Jew  walking  the  floor  in  nervous 
haste,  and  evidently  in  great  mental  distress. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
PARTING  OF  CONSPIRATORS. 

"Come,"  said  Miserleigh  to  Jacob  Blum  nodding 
his  head  toward  the  door. 

"Vere?"  querried  Jacob  tremulously. 

"To  the  warehouse,"  and  without  another  word 
Miserleigh  turned  and  walked  out  upon  the  street 
followed  by  Blum. 

They  walked  rapidly  in  silence  ten  squares  when 
Jacob  touched  Miserleigh 's  arm  and  said : 

"Ve  vas  in  a  dight  blace  und  you  makes  all  de 
droubles  yourself  by  talking  mit  dat  fishwoman." 

"Yes,  cursed  idiot  that  I  was.  I  only  intended  to 
render  the  boy's  return  impossible.  I  was  afraid  that 
Sam  Slick  would  go  back  on  me — the  tender-hearted 
booby — but  I  overreached  myself  and  now  I  will 
have  to  strain  every  nerve  to  stem  the  tide  which  is 
setting  strong  against  me.  However — money  will 
do  anything,  and  I  have  resolved  to  use  it  freely. 
We  must  carry  out  our  original  intentions  concern- 
ing Sam  Slick  and  Joshua  Humble  and  must  add  to 
the  list  that  miserable  old  snoop,  Judge  Prye.  Be- 
fore he  is  done  with  me  he  will  learn  to  his  sorrow 

(245) 


246  Joshua  Humble. 

that  it  is  neither  wise  nor  safe  to  pry  into  my  busi- 
ness affairs;  we  must  kidnap — kill — anything  to  get 
them  out  of  the  way,  and  I  shall  depend  upon  you  to 
do  your  part.  Do  you  know  that  the  authorities 
have  exhumed  the  body  of  William  Barnes  and  as- 
certained the  fact  that  he  was  poisoned?"  . 

"Nein!"  replied  the  Jew  in  a  frightened  voice, 
stopping  short  while  his  face  blanched,  and  he  be- 
gan to  shiver  like  one  with  an  ague. 

"Yes,  come  on!  don't  stop — every  moment  is 
precious !"  and  seizing  the  trembling  Jew  by  the  arm 
Sol.  Miserleigh  hurried  him  along,  and  twenty  min- 
utes later  they  entered  the  enclosure  used  by  Blum 
for  the  storage  of  old  iron.  After  carefully  recon- 
noitering  the  place  to  be  sure  that  no  enemy  lurked 
therein,  they  descended  into  the  old  cistern,  groped 
through  the  passageway,  clambered  up  the  ladder 
into  the  yard  of  the  warehouse,  found  the  basement 
door  and  gave  the  usual  signal.  A  faint  light 
gleamed  through  the  keyhole,  but  to  their  surprise 
there  was  no  response  to  their  summons  and  no 
sound  within.  Again  old  Jacob  rapped  the  signal 
sharply  upon  the  door,  with  the  same  result  as  be- 
fore, and  finally  in  his  impatience  he  seized  the  knob 
and  rattled  it  violently,  when  the  door  sprung  ajar, 
and  they  pushed  it  open  and  entered  the  room. 

A  lamp  was  burning  dimly  on  a  table;  a  few 
lumps  of  burning  coal  where  smouldering  in  the 
grate,  but  there  was  no  living  soul  within.  As  old 


Parting  of  Conspirators.  247 

Jacob  closed  the  door,  Sol.  Miserleigh  walked  over 
and  turned  up  the  light  and  there  upon  the  table 
before  him  lay  an  envelope  addressed  in  the  bold 
round  handwriting  of  Hairlip  Brown:  "To  M.  or 
B."  With  trembling  fingers  he  broke  the  seal  and 
drew  forth  the  letter  and  as  old  Jacob  hastened  to 
his  side  Sol.  Miserleigh  read  in  a  low  tone  the  fol- 
lowing : 

5  '30  P-  m. 

"The  cops  are  on  to  us  and  the  jig  is  up.  At 
seven  o'clock  we  will  be  fifty  miles  from  the  city  and 
will  not  return.  Get  away  from  here  the  moment 
you  read  this  or  you  will  be  gobbled  and  run  in. 
The  whole  scheme  has  been  discovered  by  the 
slopping  over  of  a  fool's  mouth." 

"Come,  let  us  go,"  said  Miserleigh  tremulously 
as  he  threw  the  letter  upon  the  fire  and  turned  out 
the  light. 

"Yaw,  hurry!"  responded  Jacob  impatiently  as 
they  passed  out  and  softly  closed  the  door.  At  a 
street  corner  half  a  square  distant  from  the  ware- 
house, Blum  and  Miserleigh  parted  in  silence. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
AN  IGNOMINIOUS  BANISHMENT. 

It  lacked  a  quarter  of  ten  o'clock  when  Sol.  en- 
tered the  front  door  of  his  home,  having  gone  there 
direct  from  his  office  where  he  had  transacted  im- 
portant legal  business.  A  single  gas  jet  was  burning 
dimly  in  the  hall,  and  without  pausing  to  remove 
his  coat  or  hat  he  passed  on  into  the  dining  room 
where  he  found  his  mother  seated  in  a  low  willow 
rocker  bending  over  a  feeble  sputtering  fire  in  the 
grate.  At  that  instant,  the  storm  which  had  been 
gathering  in  the  heavens  all  the  afternoon,  swept 
furiously  over  the  city,  and  the  rattle  of  the  rain 
droops  upon  the  slate  roof,  and  the  rush  of  the  wind 
around  the  sharp  angles  of  the  building,  created  a 
unison  of  sounds  dismal  in  the  extreme. 

A  storm  had  also  been  brewing  in  the  home  of 
Sol.  Miserleigh  that  afternoon — a  tempest  of  human 
rage  more  violent  and  terrible  than  the  conflict  of 
elements  without — and  the  two  storms  began  at  the 
same  moment.  That  day  Mrs.  Miserleigh  had  heard 
the  rumor  for  the  first  time. 

As  Sol.  closed  the  door  behind  him,  his  mother 

(248) 


Jin  Ignominious  Banishment.        249 

put  down  the  poker  with  which  she  had  been  punch- 
ing the  reluctant  fire,  arose  from  her  chair,  advanced 
and  confronted  him  in  the  middle  of  the  room  and 
demanded  sternly:  "Why  are  you  here?" 

Her  face  was  white  as  marble  and  her  lips  were 
tightly  drawn,  revealing  at  full  length  those  frightful 
protruding  jagged  teeth.  Sol.  was  silent.  Her  ter- 
rible vehement  anger  overwhelmed  him  with  fear, 
and  he  turned  his  face  aside  because  he  could  not 
endure  the  blinding  glare  of  her  wicked  eyes. 

"Why  are  you  here?"  she  again  demanded  in  a 
sharp,  fierce  tone,  like  the  snarl  of  an  enraged  tigress, 
while  flecks  of  foam  came  forth  from  between  her 
thin  and  bloodless  lips.  "Idiot  1  Dolt!  Scoundrel  1 
Murderer!  Liar!  Do  you  know  that  at  this  mo- 
ment you  are  in  the  very  jaws  of  death,  almost  within 
the  grasp  of  the  law?  Don't  you  know  that  your 
vile  mouthing  to  a  low  fisherwoman  has  brought  you 
swiftly  to  the  end  which  you  so  richly  deserve?" 

"Yes,  I  know — I  know  all,"  he  replied  in  a  faint 
tremulous  voice.  "I  know  that  the  end  has  come, 
and  not  only  to  me  but  also  to  you,  for  you  are  the 
author  of  all  my  misery  and  crime.  If  I  am  heart- 
less, false  and  vile,  you  made  me  so  and  therefore 
you  are  the  real  criminal,  and  I  but  the  faithful 
creature  of  your  will."  .  i  ; 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  "that  is  true,  too,  but  you 
are  an  accursed  Barnes  and  deserve  no  better  fate! 
The  man  whom  you  murdered  one  night  over  by 


250  Joshua  Humble, 

the  lake  yonder  was  your  own  father!  ^Vhen  I  was 
a  mere  child  he  wronged  me  and  you  are  the  fruit 
of  that  wrong.  When  you  were  born  I  hid  you  away 
in  a  poor  family  of  many  children  in  an  obscure 
village  and  two  years  afterward  I  married  Miserleigh 
who  lived  but  three  years;  then  I  came  to  this  city 
with  you  and  Aurelia  and  you  know  the  rest.  Now 
go,  and  put  as  many  miles  as  possible  between  your- 
self and  this  city  before  daylight,  or  you  will  never 
enjoy  another  day  of  liberty !  Go !"  and  she  pushed 
him  rudely  toward  the  door.  "Go !"  and  she  grasped 
him  by  the  arm  and  hurried  him  along  the  hall,  and 
out  into  the  vestibule,  opened  the  front  door  and 
violently  thrust  him  out  into  the  night  and  storm. 

At  that  moment  a  strong  gust  of  wind  wrenched 
the  door  from  her  grasp  and  swung  it  violently  shut. 
"It  is  an  omen,"  she  said  as  she  turned  the  key  in 
the  lock  and  slipped  the  bolt  forward  into  its  socket. 
"Even  the  elements  conspire  to  thrust  him  forth, 
and  he  will  never  cross  this  threshhold  again."  Then 
she  turned  and  passed  through  the  vestibule,  locked 
the  inner  door,  returned  to  the  dining  room,  re- 
sumed her  seat  before  the  fire,  leaned  her  elbows  on 
her  knees,  covered  her  face  with  her  hands  and  wept. 
It  was  a  storm  of  grief  as  violent  as  her  anger  a  few 
moments  before,  and  as  she  swayed  to  and  fro  in 
her  chair  her  moaning  was  pitiful  in  the  extreme. 

"Gone!  gone!  forever  gone!  and  the  darkness 
of  death  settling  down  upon  my  soul!"  These  were 


Ignominious  Banishment.         251 

her  words  in  pitiful,  tremulous  accents,  and  more, 
many  more  in  faint  whispers,  as  the  night  wore  on, 
while  the  rain  beat  furiously  upon  the  roof  and 
dashed  against  the  windows.  Finally  as  the  hands 
of  the  clock  on  the  mantel  pointed  to  twelve  and  its 
bell  slowly  chimed  the  hour,  she  straightened  up  in 
her  chair,  wiped  the  tears  from  her  face,  clasped  her 
hands  together  upon  her  lap  and  gazed  intently  upon 
the  last  glowing  ember  in  the  grate  as  it  settled 
slowly  down  and  melted  away  into  ashes. 

When  the  clock  chimed  "one,"  she  arose  from 
her  chair,  took  writing  material  from  the  mantel, 
sat  down  by  the  table,  and  for  five  minutes  wrote 
rapidly,  having  evidently  thought  the  whole  matter 
out  while  sitting  by  the  fire  and  gazing  at  the  dying 
embers.  At  length  with  a  sigh  she  put  down  the 
pen,  folded  the  sheet  of  paper  on  which  she  had 
written,  placed  it  in  an  envelope  and  addressed  it: 
"To  whom  it  may  concern."  Then  she  arose,  put 
out  the  light  and  went  directly  to  the  room  of 
Aurelia  in  the  tower,  which  she  entered  softly.  In 
the  dim  light  of  a  single  gas  jet  in  a  chandelier  of 
five  large  burners,  Mrs.  Miserleigh  paused  by  the 
bedside  of  Aurelia  and  listened.  The  poor  soul  was 
sleeping  soundly  and  a  sweet  smile  rested  upon  her 
face — lovely  in  its  calm  repose.  She  was  evidently 
dreaming — doubtless  of  her  children  and  her  hus- 
band, and  in  fancy  she  was  living  over  again  the 
only  joyous  hours  of  all  her  life.  Bending  down, 


252  Joshua  Humble. 

Mrs.  Miserleigh  kissed  the  fair  warm  face  of  her 
daughter  and  whispered :  "Sleep  on,  poor  demented 
soul,  to  whom  life  has  been  only  a  torture  and  death 
will  be  a  joyous  emancipation!  Sleep  on  until  you 
awake  in  the  presence  of  your  loved  one  in  the  other 
world.  Oh,  Aurelia !  how  I  have  wrecked  your  pure 
young  life — I,  your  own  mother,  who  never  since  my 
first  mad  love,  loved  ought  but  you!  But  fate  so 
ordered  and  I  have  been  only  the  instrument  for 
the  accomplishment  of  its  purpose.  Good-bye 
Aurelia!  good-bye  forever!  I  am  vile  and  you  are 
pure,  and  we  shall  never  meet  in  the  other  world!" 
For  several  minutes  she  stood  looking  down  upon 
the  calm,  beautiful  face  of  her  daughter,  and  then  she 
drew  a  large  willow  rocker  close  by  the  bedside, 
turned  out  the  light  and  then  turned  the  thumb 
screws  of  all  of  the  five  burners  so  that  the  gas 
would  flow  with  its  full  force  into  the  room.  Then 
she  sat  down  in  the  chair,  leaned  her  head  backward, 
folded  her  arms  across  her  bosom,  closed  her  eyes 
and  gently  sank  into  eternal  sleep. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

VULGAR  PLUTOCBACT. 

% 

During  their  brief  sojourn  in  the  city  to  which 
they  had  gone  at  the  suggestion  of  Sol.  Miserleigh, 
George  Langdon  and  Paul  Dyke  had  been  very 
pleasantly  employed.  They  had  taken  long  carriage 
drives  through  the  fashionable  residence  portion  of 
the  city  and  often  going  at  considerable  distances  in- 
to the  country ;  they  had  strolled  through  the  beauti- 
ful parks,  had  attended  many  nice  places  of  amusement, 
and  in  their  cosy  apartments  at  the  hotel  where  they 
had  remained  since  the  night  of  their  arrival  they 
had  experienced  great  pleasure  in  each  others  soci- 
ety ;  and  also  during  that  time  they  had  formed  many 
agreeable  acquaintances  through  the  social  aggres- 
siveness of  Paul  Dyke  who  smiled  and  chatted  with 
everybody  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  a,nd  had 
always  at  his  tongue's  end,  pleasant  words,  even  for 
the  servants.  Hence,  he  soon  became  immensely 
popular  about  the  hotel  and  his  fame  as  a  gentleman 
of  elegant  manners  and  interesting  characteristics 
spread  abroad,  and  the  rumor  ran  hither  and  thither, 
until  finally  he  became  an  interesting  subject  of  con- 

(253) 


254  Joshua  Humble. 

versation  in  the  upper  circles  of  extreme  fashionable 
society  which  might  be  properly  termed  shoddy- 
ocracy. 

The  rotunda  of  the  hotel  was  a  popular  lounging 
place  for  the  males  of  that  class  of  people  known  as 
"swells  ' — fellows  of  large  financial  resources  and 
very  small  mental  endowments,  and  its  parlors  were 
favorite  places  of  resort  for  the  former's  feminine 
counterpart. 

By  chance,  while  promenading  the  hotel  corridor 
of  the  floor  on  which  his  apartments  were  located, 
to  walk  off  a  little  of  his  surplus  energy,  Paul  Dyke 
met  a  dainty  little  woman  tripping  lightly  toward 
him,  followed  by  a  dainty  little  poodle  dog  with  silken 
snow  white  hair  and  pink  eyes,  decorated  with  a  baby 
blue  silk  ribbon  around  its  neck  to  which  was  sus- 
pended a  chime  of  silver  bells  which  jingled  merrily 
as  it  ran.  The  aforesaid  dainty  little  lady  was  none 
other  than  Miss  M.  Marie  Whiffle,  (formerly  plain 
Mehetable  Mary)  daughter  of  a  millionaire  ex-soap 
maker,  which  fact,  the  character  of  the  business 
whereby  her  father  amassed  his  immense  fortune, 
probably  accounted  for  her  extreme  neatness  and 
cleanliness,  as  she  was  born  amid  the  stifling  odors 
of  boiling  soap,  and  therefore  the  irresistible  desire 
to  be  eternally  scrubbing  her  person  was  doubtless 
but  the  effect  upon  her  mind  of  early  constant  asso- 
ciation with  the  chemical  ingredients  necessary  to 
produce  cleanliness. 


Vulgar  Plutocracy.  255 

As  the  diminutive  female  approached  Paul  Dyke, 
he  lifted  his  glistening  silk  hat,  smiled  and  bowed 
with  courtly  grace,  and  in  pleasing  acknowledge- 
ment of  the  courtesy,  Mis  Whiffle  bowed,  smiled, 
blushed  and  passed  on  into  the  parlor,  while  Paul 
Dyke  continued  his  promenade,  wondering  why  on 
earth  women  were  ever  constructed  upon  the  fragile 
and  fraudulent  plan  of  which  Miss  Whiffle  was  a  true 
representative. 

"She  is  not  larger  than  a  twelve-year-old  child, 
and  yet  she  is  not  less  than  twenty-five,"  he  mut- 
tered, as  with  hands  clasped  behind  his  back,  and 
head  erect,  he  resumed  his  promenade.  "And, 
furthermore,  there  are  many  evidences  of  unreality 
about  her — of  manufactured  beauty  and  voluptuous- 
ness— a  bleached,  washed-out  appearance  combined 
with  a  stifling  odor  of  starch,  soap  and  cologne. 
I'll  bet — no  I  wont  do  anything  of  the  kind;  I  wont 
bet,  for  I've  sworn  off — but  I'll  guarantee — oh,  guar- 
antee is  good,  that's  the  word!  I'll  guarantee,  then, 
that  she  lisps  and  titters  and  simpers  and  uses  all 
of  the  swell  slang  and  writes  spring  poetry  and  reads 
novels  that  would  corrupt  an  angel;  that  she  is  in- 
sanely passionate  and  romantic  and  quick  to  engage 
in  any  sort  of  adventure  that  may  promise  excite- 
ment or  pleasure.  Though  extremely  prudish  and 
fastidious  in  public,  she  is  vulgar  and  reckless  in  pri- 
vate, and  though  wealthy,  and  cultured  by  the  hot- 
bed process  of  education  and  experience,  she  is  of 


256  Joshua  Humble. 

plebian  origin  of  the  lowest  degree,  and  to  conclude 
that  her  father  amassed  his  fortune  in  the  scavenger 
business  would  be  a  very  natural  and  doubtless  cor- 
rect presumption.  Still,  I  must  endeavor  to  culti- 
vate her  acquaintance  and  thereby  obtain  entrance 
to  the  peculiar  circle  of  society  of  which  she  is  a  cor- 
rect representative.  I  need  a  litle  practice  in  that 
particular  sphere  to  complete  my  education  of  ex- 
perience. I  have  lived  in  the  gutters  among  the 
human  pigs  of  that  social  level,  and  never  got  down 
to  wallow  with  them  in  the  mire  of  debauchery  and 
crime.  I  have  hob-nobbed  with  blue  bloods  for 
years  and  been  counted  as  one  of  their  set,  and  did 
not  acquire  their  vices,  but  I  have  never  had  any 
experience  with  the  shoddy  variety  of  uppertendom 
and  I  cannot  afford  to  neglect  the  present  oppor- 
tunity." 

As  he  walked  and  thought  and  smiled  and  gazed 
at  the  fresco  work  on  the  ceiling,  he  suddenly  be- 
came aware  of  an  approaching  human  form,  and 
turning  quickly,  he  was  confronted  at  close  quarters 
by  a  little  active  man  whom  he  immediately  recog- 
nized as  W.  Potter  Stunner,  to  whom  he  had  been 
introduced  on  the  previous  day  in  the  hotel  rotunda 
by  the  obliging  chief  clerk  of  the  house,  who  bowed 
very  gracefully  between  them  and  placed  the  index 
finger  of  his  left  hand  against  his  own  shirt  front  in 
close  proximity  to  his  diamond  pin,  as  he  repeated 
their  names  severally  and  then  in  turn  patted  them 


Vulgar  Plutocracy.  257 

upon  the  shoulder  with  his  disengaged  hand  and 
assured  them  that  they  were  "birds  of  the  same 
feather." 

"Awh,  Misto  Dwyke — awh,  sah,  I  bweg  youh 
pawdon — awh !  But  how  do  youth  pwospah  this  awf- 
tanoon?"  said  W.  Potter  Stunner  with  a  low  bow 
and  a  pretty  little  courtesy  as  he  lifted  his  cunning 
little  derby  hat  and  disclosed  his  round  little  head 
covered  with  silken  blonde  curls. 

"I  prosper  well  indeed — thank  you,  Mr.  Stunner," 
replied  Paul  Dyke,  smiling. 

"Awh,  glad  to  heah  it  Misto  Dwyke,  vewy  glad 
indeed — awh !  But  have  youh  seen  Miss  M.  Marie 
Whiffle  paws  along  the  hall  wecently — awh?" 

"I  have  not  the  honor  of  the  lady's  acquaintance, 
and  consequently  am  unable  to  reply  to  your  ques- 
tion definitely,  but  I  presume  the  lady  you  seek  en- 
tered the  parlor  a  few  moments  ago." 

"Awh,  she  was  amall?" 

"Very  srriall." 

"And  vewy  pwetty?" 

"Quite  interesting." 

"And  stylish?" 

"Very  stylish  indeed." 

"And  has  bwown  eyes?" 

"The  same." 

"And  curly  blonde  hair?" 

"Beautiful  blonde  curls." 

"That's  M,  Marie  Whiffle !  I  must  haste  to  join 


258  Joshua  Humble. 

her.  I  bv/eg  pwadon — awh,  Misto  Dwyke — I  bid 
you  good  day!"  and  the  dapper  dandy  bowed  and 
courtesied  again  and  moved  on  with  a  hop  and  a  skip 
and  entered  the  parlor  twirling  his  little  derby  hat 
nervously  in  his  hands,  while  Paul  Dyke  continued 
his  promenade,  muttering  disgustedly:  "Two  of  a 
kind  and  a  very  amusing  pair.  Ah  me !  what  were 
such  creatures  ever  created  for?" 

George  Langdon  opened  the  door  of  his  apart- 
ment, and  approaching  Paul  Dyke  began  to  ex- 
press his  dissatisfaction  with  a  book  which  he  had 
been  reading,  when  W.  Potter  Stunner  emerged 
from  the  parlor,  and  approaching  them  with  a  play- 
ful little  hop  and  skip,  courtesied  before  them,  ad- 
justed his  monocle,  elevated  his  chin  until  his  nose 
pointed  toward  the  edge  of  the  ceiling,  stared  va- 
cantly a  moment  at  Paul  Dyke  and  then  turned  and 
stared  at  Langdon  in  the  same  manner,  and  finally 
with  another  and  even  prettier  bow  and  courtesy 
opened  his  mouth  and  gurgled : 

"Awh,  Misto  Langdon — awh  sah!  delighted  to 
meet  you  again  sah,  Misto  Dwyke  I  believe  youh 
said  a  few  moments  ago — awh,  that  you  ahad  nevah 
been  itwoduced  to  Miss  M.  Marie  Whiffle — awh?" 
Eh?" 

"Yes,  Mr.  Stunner,  I  made  that  statement." 
"Awh.    And  you,  Misto  Langdon?" 
"I  have  never  been  honored  by  the  lady's  ac- 
quaintance." 


Vulgar  Plutocracy.  259 

"Awh.  Gentlemen,  you  must  pvvemit  me  to 
pwesent  you  to  her  now,  if  agvveeable  to  you." 

"With  pleasure,"  they  both  replied  as  they  glanc- 
ed significantly  at  each  other,  and  were  immediately 
ushered  into  the  parlor  where  they  were  introduced 
to  Miss  Whiffle  and  also  to  a  half  score  of  other  fe- 
males of  her  kind.  A  spirited  and  vivacious  con- 
versation ensued  and  was  continued  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  then  Paul  Dyke  and  George  Langdon 
politely  withdrew,  leaving  W.  Potter  Stunner  and 
the  females  chattering  like  magpies,  with  decided 
ultra  foreign  accentuation. 


CHAPTER  XL. 
A  CARNIVAL  OP  SHODDYITES. 

The  following  morning  Paul  Dyke  and  George 
Langdon  were  the  recipients  of  elegant  and  strongly 
perfumed  invitations  to  a  ball  and  banquet  to  be 
given  at  a  "swell"  club  house  in  the  city,  and  accord- 
ingly, at  the  hour  designated,  they  were  in  attend- 
ance, and  with  much  ado  were  introduced  to  the 
company,  and  at  once  became  the  center  of  attrac- 
tion, and  for  the  moment  the  leading  sensation.  One 
of  the  last  of  the  guests  to  arrive,  was  Count  Von 
Schultzenblocken,  whose  name  indicated  very  noble 
and  ancient  ancestory.  He  was  tall  and  painfully 
thin  and  his  feet  and  hands  were  broad  and  long. 
His  slim  neck,  which  terminated  in  the  rear  in  a 
sharp  peak  at  the  top  of  his  head,  resembled  strik- 
ingly the  neck  of  a  giraffe,  while  his  forehead  began 
at  his  eyebrows  and  sloped  backard  at  an  angle  of 
forty-five  degrees,  terminating  at  the  front  base  of 
the  peak,  on  the  top  of  his  head,  with  barely  three 
inches  of  coarse  gray-black  hair,  intervening  be- 
tween the  upward  termination  of  the  forehead  and 
the  summit  of  the  aforesaid  peak.  His  eyes  were 

(260) 


SI  Carnival  of  Shoddyites.  261 

small  and  wide  apart,  and  into  one  of  them  was 
wedged  a  single  eye  glass,  very  large  and  glittering. 
His  nose  was  of  rainbow  form  and  of  extremely 
florid  color,  and  at  the  lower  extremity  it  was  flat- 
tened and  spread  outward,  covering  a  large  portion 
of  his  upper  lip,  which  was  adorned  by  a  long  coarse 
black  mustache  waxed  at  the  ends  and  curled  up- 
ward a  la  Napoleon.  His  mouth  was  wide  and  sin- 
ister and  his  chin  retreated  so  precipitously  that  his 
face  seemed  to  be  wholly  devoid  of  that  feature,  the 
neck  appearing  to  terminate  upward  at  his  lower  lip. 
His  speech  was  a  mixture  of  the  whirring  accent  of 
the  Swiss,  the  guttural  of  the  German  and  the  pecul- 
iar nasal  twang  of  the  French.  But  Lord  bless  you ! 
his  name  was  very  imposing,  and  his  title  attractive, 
and  those  two  important  considerations  completely 
obliterated  the  great  multitude  of  his  physical  and 
intellectual  defects.  His  step  was  measured  and 
spasmodic,  like  that  of  a  horse  with  the  springhalt, 
and  his  bearing  was  lofty  to  the  very  point  of  grand- 
eur. To  the  females,  his  physical  peculiarities  (with 
title  included)  constituted  a  new  and  interesting 
type  of  beauty,  and  in  his  presence  they  smiled  and 
simpered,  and  put  forth  their  best  efforts  to  attract 
his  attention,  and  to  win  his  admiration.  On  the 
other  hand,  Count  Von  Schultz-and-so-forth,  was 
calm,  collected  and  self-possessed  and  prosecuted 
his  matter  of  money  conquest  with  the  methodical 
precision  of  a  mathematician  solving  a  difficult  prob- 


262  Joshua  Humble. 

lem.  The  focus  of  his  magnified  eye  seemed  to  be 
continually  fixed  upon  the  ceiling  in  close  examina- 
tion of  the  fresco  work,  to  which  he  seemed  to  ad- 
dress his  rasping  gradiloquent'  words,  intended  as 
responses  to  the  compliments  of  the  bevy  of  female 
admirers  who  clustered  around  him.  Occasionally, 
however,  he  would  suspend  his  examination  of  the 
ceiling  and  slowly  lower  his  gaze  until  the  rugged 
peak  of  his  cranium  attained  an  upright  position  and 
his  nose  pointed  toward  the  floor,  and  then  with  a 
slow  sweep  of  his  magnified  eye  around  the  circle  of 
pretty  upturned  anxious  faces,  he  would  bow  and 
prance  like  a  victorious  rooster  in  a  barnyard,  among 
a  group  of  admiring  hens. 

As  to  the  other  males  in  attendance,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Dyke  and  Langdon,  they  were  simply 
green-eyed  with  jealousy.  Being  left  wholly  to  the 
entertainment  of  a  number  of  wallflowers  of  doubt- 
ful ages  and  angular  forms,  their  indignation  was 
simply  inexpressable ;  and  a  hundred  angry  eyes 
glared  at  him  through  a  hundred  single  eye  glasses ; 
and  a  hundred  noses  were  pointed  at  him  like  so 
many  interrogation  points ;  and  a  thousand  fingers 
were  clenched  and  deeply  buried  into  the  palms  of 
two  hundred  hands;  and  a  hundred  mouths  of  as 
many  males  in  attendance  hissed  forth  in  hoarse 
whispers,  deep  and  damning  imprecations  upon  the 
head  of  the  lofty  and  scornful  scion  of  nobility. 

It  was  clearly  apparent  that  the  most  ardent  and 


Jl  Carnival  of  Shoddyites.  263 

favored  worshiper  at  the  shrine  of  Count  Von 
Schultz-and-so-forth,  was  M.  Marie  Whiffle,  whose 
father  had  died,  leaving  to  her  a  goodly  portion  of 
his  immense  estate,  and  hence  the  alleged  Count, 
with  a  shrewd  brain  and  a  keen  eye  to  business,  had 
decided  to  annex  her  hand  and  fortune  to  his  money- 
less alleged  title,  and  in  evidence  of  his  settled  pur- 
pose in  that  relation,  he  drew  her  arm  within  the 
sharp  bony  crook  of  his  own  and  clung  to  her  tenac- 
iously, while  she  in  turn,  in  evidence  of  her  entire 
satisfaction  with  the  Count's  decision,  clung  to  his 
skeleton  crook  with  both  of  her  hands  as  though 
fearful  that  he  might  escape  from  her  grasp  and 
bear  away  from  her  forever  the  alleged  title  which 
she  hoped  to  purchase  with  her  clean  and  perfumed 
person,  and  her  immense  fortune. 

And  it  was  also  clearly  apparent  that  W.  Potter 
Stunner,  who  was  deeply  enamored  of  M.  Marie 
Whiffle,  and  whose  fortune  and  credit  had  been 
totally  wrecked  by  his  senseless  extravagance,  was 
the  most  indignant  individual  in  the  assembly,  and 
he  could  scarcely  repress  his  rage  when  he  beheld 
the  titled  usurper  leering  grossly  into  the  face  of 
the  woman  he  idolized.  And  so  he  paced  the  floor 
and  bit  his  lips  and  nursed  his  anger  and  longed 
for  revenge,  though  he  knew  not  that  it  was  coming 
with  s\vift  and  steady  sweep,  of  its  own  free  will 
and  motion. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 
A  BEWILDERING  "Hop." 

Paul  Dyke  and  George  Langdon  watched  Count 
Von  Schultz-and-so-forth,  strutting  and  swaggering 
around  among  his  silly  female  admirers,  and  each  to 
the  other  whispered  witty  comments  and  enjoyed  the 
scene  immensely.  Finally,  the  band  struck  up  a 
march  and  the  company  in  pairs,  male  and  female, 
began  to  promenade — Paul  Dyke  and  George 
Longdon  among  them,  each  with  a  simpering  wo- 
man clinging  to  his  arm,  awhing  and  bandying  swell 
slang  and  state  compliments,  until  at  length  the 
music  changed  to  a  waltz,  and  away  they  whirled  like 
the  spokes  of  a  wheel  in  rapid  motion.  Every  where 
the  single  eye  glass  glittered,  and  diamonds  flashed 
from  ears  and  shirt  bosoms,  and  tall  white  collars, 
stiff  and  rigid  as  sheet  iron,  girdled  the  necks  of  the 
males,  and  cut  deep  furrows  into  their  retreating 
chins,  and  soft  creamy  laces  and  brilliant  silk  robes 
fluttered  around  female  forms. 

Away  they  floated,  round  and  round,  here  and 
there,  up  and  down,  until  the  room  seemed  to  them 
like  a  great  round  plain  in  rapid  circling  motion  and 

1364) 


Jt  Bewildering  "Hop."  265 

the  lights  like  myriads  of  far  off  meteors  flashing 
athwart  a  moonless  sky.  It  was  a  scene  of  grotesque 
comicality,  a  grave  and  earnest  burlesque,  a  sober, 
mournful  farce,  in  which  Count  Von  Schulten- 
blocken  was  the  star  performer,  and  M.  Marie 
Whiffle  the  female  leader  in  his  support. 

Finally,  in  the  very  midst  of  the  wild  whirl  and 
excitement  of  the  waltz,  Count  Von  Schultz-and-so- 
forth  and  W.  Potter  Stunner  came  into  violent  col- 
lision with  each  other,  and  instantly  each  parted 
company  with  his  female  companion  and  went 
sprawling  in  opposite  directions,  with  a  swift  hop- 
ping— skipping  motion,  ending  in  an  ungraceful  drop 
into  a  sitting  posture  and  a  rapid  glide  backward 
along  the  waxen  floor.  Finally,  when  stopped  by 
the  walls  on  opposite  sides  of  the  room,  the  two 
hostile  rivals,  arose  to  their  feet — slowly  and  pain- 
fully— and  began  moving  toward  each  other  in  the 
peculiar  manner  of  fighting  cooks  going  to  battle. 
Though  eager  for  the  fray,  they  did  not  meet,  be- 
cause they  could  not  by  reason  of  the  solid  wall  of 
people  between  them,  and  they  could  only  stand 
on  opposite  sides  of  the  obstruction  and  gnash  their 
teeth  the  growl.  The  ladies,  almost  unanimously, 
united  in  earnest  expressions  of  sympathy  for  the 
Count,  and  innocently  appeared  not  to  observe  the 
gaping  rent  in  one  knee  of  his  trousers  which  he 
himself  had  not  yet  discovered. 

It  was  a  trying  ordeal  for  the  maidens  to  stand 


266  Joshua  Humble. 

thus,  all  unconscious  of  what,  even  the  man  in  the 
moon  could  not  have  failed  to  observe  through  the 
clear  plate  glass  window,  but  the  s\yeet  innocent 
little  dears  were  fully  equal  to  the  requirements  of 
the  occasion,  and  calmed  his  angered  soul  with  sweet 
spoken  words  of  sympathy,  while  W.  Potter  Stunner 
was  left  alone  to  rub  his  bruises  and  console  himself 
with  the  comfortable  reflection  that  his  limbs  were 
unfractured  and  his  garments  whole. 

Though  decidely  sensational,  the  interruption 
was  but  brief  and  the  music  began  again,  and  away 
the  dancers  whirled  and  continued  to  spin,  until 
again  the  lights  seemed  to  them  like  so  many  streaks 
of  fire  and  the  room  like  a  swiftly  moving  circular 
space.  At  length  the  dance  was  finished  and  the 
music  ceased,  and  Count  Von  Schultz-and-so-forth, 
escorted  the  panting  and  blushing  Miss  Whipple  to  a 
seat  and  bowed  before  her  very  courteously — but 
horror  of  horrors !  while  in  that  stooping  position 
his  magnified  eye  discovered  the  rent  in  his  trousers, 
and  with  a  half  uttered  compliment,  which  his  par- 
alyzed lips  refused  to  finish,  he  turned  and  fled  pre- 
cipitately to  the  dressing  room.  As  he  entered 
therein  with  a  flying  leap  like  a  sprinter  passing  un- 
der the  wire  at  the  end  of  the  home  stretch,  a  num- 
ber of  young  men  were  in  the  act  of  correcting  the 
parting  of  their  thin  hair,  and  in  otherwise  arrang- 
ing their  toilets,  in  which  they  were  dexterously  as- 
sisted by  a  wheezy  little  German,  the  servant  in 


A  Bewildering  "Hop."  267 

charge  of  the  apartment.  When  the  horrified  Von 
Schultz-and-so-forth  came  bounding  into  the  room, 
the  little  German  servant,  who  was  in  the  act  of 
brushing  a  coat,  reeled  backward  until  he  came  into 
contact  with  the  opposite  wall,  threw  tip  his  hands  in 
a  gesture  of  astonishment,  and  exclaimed : 

"Mine  Gott!  mine  old  friendt,  Hans  Schultz,  ze 
pawn  broker  fon  Metz." 

"Pawn  broker  of  Metz?"  echoed  the  crowd  in 
chorus. 

"Sure!"  responded  the  little  German,  "sure 
zhentlemens,  mine  old  friendt,  Hans  Schultz,  ze 
pawn  broker  fon  Metz.  His  fodder  vas  a  pawn 
proker  und  I  know  him  since  a  ledle  poy,  forty  year 
ago  in  Metz — Ah  Hans !"  he  continued  with  out- 
stretched hand  toward  the  alleged  Count,  "ah 
Hans!  how  you  do,  mine  old  poyhood  friendt?" 

"Ah!  Who?  Oh!  ejaculated  the  frightened 
Schultz — cowering  backward  as  the  litte  German  ad- 
vanced, "ah!  who — vat  vas  dat?"  and  he  retreated 
through  the  open  doorway  far  more  hastily  than  he 
had  entered  the  room,  while  the  male  guests  hurried 
out  also  to  spread  the  news  among  the  females,  and 
to  rejoice  together  over  the  complete  overthrow  of 
their  haughty  and  hated  rival. 

The  stampede  of  Hans  Schultz,  alias  Count  Von 
Schultz-and-so-forth,  was  signal  and  complete.  He 
rushed  to  the  cloak  room,  snatched  his  cane,  over- 
coat and  hat  rudely  from  the  hands  of  the  servant, 


268  Joshua  Humble. 

hurried  down  stairs  to  the  pavement,  sprang  into 
his  carriage  and  was  driven  rapidly  away. 

The  banquet  which  followed  the  startling  episode, 
was  a  gloomy  and  mournful  affair.  It  was  simply  a 
funeral  feast  to  the  females  who  mourned  incon- 
solably  over  fond  vanished  hopes,  but  to  the  males 
it  was  a  season  of  delightful  calm  and  peace  after 
a  fearful  tempest  of  anger  and  humiliation — a  happy, 
even  joyous  realization  of  complete  victory,  and 
they  were  too  busy  with  their  own  pleasing  thoughts 
to  indulge  in  the  senseless  gossip  usual  with  them 
on  such  occasions.  Therefore,  they  too  munched 
their  food  in  silence,  broken  only  by  the  jingle  of 
sliverware,  the  rattle  of  china  and  the  shuffling  of  the 
servant's  feet  upon  the  polished  floor. 

At  an  early  hour,  carriages  were  ordered,  and 
the  guests  departed  for  their  homes  as  slowly  and 
sadly  as  mourners  return  from  a  funeral,  leaving  the 
wheezy  little  German  of  the  gentlemen's  dressing 
room  at  the  club  house,  explaining  to  a  group  of 
fellow  servants,  his  sensational,  though  on  his  part, 
innocent  expose  of  the  true  character  of  the  titled 
fraud. 

"Vy,  Hans  Schultz  bees  no  count,  an  no  noddings 
but  a  pawn  proker,"  he  said  vehemently,  and  with  a 
display  of  intense  indignation  when  one  of  the  serv- 
ants suggested  that  he  might  have  been  mistaken 
concerning  the  man's  identity.  "No  saire,  no  count ! 
I  know  him  veil  since  he  vas  sex  year  oldt  und  I 


Jt  Bewildering  "Hop."  269 

vas  eight.  His  fodder  vas  a  half  Jew  und  his  mudder 
vas  a  Swiss  vomans,  und  ze  old  man  kept  a  pawn 
proker  shop  in  Metz,  und  ven  ze  old  man  died  Hans 
kept  ze  shop  un  vas  dere  ven  I  coom  to  America 
four  year  ago.  Count  noddings;  hump!  He  bees 
no  Count  at  all — but  only  Hans  Schultz,  ze  pawn 
proker  fon  Metz." 


CHAPTER  XUI. 
THE  IMAGE  OF  A  DEAD  FRIEND  REVEALED. 

Paul  Dyke  and  George  Langdon  were  among  the 
last  of  the  guests  to  order  their  carriage,  and  during 
the  journey  of  twenty  minutes  from  the  club  house 
to  their  hotel,  they  discussed  the  comical  and  in- 
teresting incidents  of  the  night  and  commented 
humorously  upon  the  lofty  bearing  and  the  subse- 
quent accidental  unmasking  of  the  bogus  Count. 
They  were  still  discussing  the  matter  when  they  en- 
tered their  apartments  at  the  hotel,  but  as  George 
Langdon  turned  up  the  gas  light,  Paul  Dyke  stopped 
short  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence  as  he  observed 
upon  the  center  table  a  telegram  addressed  to  "Sam 
Slick."  With  a  dazed  expression  of  countenance,  he 
took  the  envelope  in  his  hand,  broke  the  seal,  drew 
forth  the  message  and  read  the  following: 

"Fix  Langdon  safe,  and  come  here  immediately 
for  conference. 

"Sol.  Miserleigh." 

"What  is  it  Paul,  a  love  letter  ?"  inquired  Langdon 
carelessly  as  he  punched  the  fire  with  a  poker,  sat 
down  before  it  and  help  up  his  hands  to  the  cheer- 
ful blaze. 

(270) 


The  Image  of  a  Dead  Friend.        271 

"A  telegram  from  Sol.  Miserleigh,"  replied  Paul ; 
"read  it  my  boy  it  is  of  interest  to  you  also,"  and  he 
held  out  the  message  to  Langdon  who  took  it,  read 
it  carefully  twice  and  returned  it  to  Paul  with  the 
inquiry  uttered  in  an  anxious  tone.  "What  does  it 
portend  Paul,  more  trouble — Eh?" 

Paul  Dyke  did  not  reply  at  once  but  paced  the 
floor  nervously  a  few  minutes  and  then  sat  down  by 
Langdon's  side,  grasped  both  his  hands  and  silently 
gazed  upon  his  fair  young  face. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Paul  ?  you  tremble  and  seem 
greatly  agitated,"  said  Langdon.  "Remember  you 
are  my  trusted  friend  and  should  keep  nothing  from 
me  which  concerns  my  welfare.  Do  not  keep  me 
in  suspense — do  not  treat  me  like  a  child,  but  tell 
me  all — truly  and  frankly — all  you  know  of  Miser- 
leigh's  purposes  concerning  me." 

"I  will  my  dear  boy,"  replied  Dyke  earnestly,  "I 
will  tell  you  now  what  I  have  shrunk  from  telling 
you  heretofore  from  fear  of  creating  suspicion  in 
your  mind  concerning  the  quality  and  motives  of 
my  friendship  for  you.  Every  day  since  we  came 
here,  I  have  resolved  to  unmask  Sol.  Miserleigh  to 
you,  and  as  often  my  courage  has  failed  me  and  I 
have  hesitated  from  day  to  day  until  now.  But  at 
last  the  crisis,  which  I  have  dreaded  so  much — 
which  I  knew  must  come  eventually,  is  upon  us, 
and  I  can  no  longer  delay  the  revelation,  for  I  have 
never  deceived  you  George,  and  I  will  not  begin 


272  Joshua  Humble. 

to  do  so  now."  Taking  a  large  wallet  from  the  in- 
side pocket  of  his  vest,  he  opened  it,  drew  forth  a 
slip  of  paper,  handed  it  to  Langdon  and  said :  "Read 
that,  my  dear  boy,  and  you  will  know  all." 

With  trembling  hands  George  Langdon  took  the 
slip  of  paper  from  Paul  Dyke,  held  it  up  to  the  light 
and  read: 

"Slick:  This  is  a  profitable  customer  and  we 
must  retain  his  patronage  regardless  of  cost.  Will- 
iam Barnes  died  of  heart  disease  early  this  morning, 
and  the  boy  is  his  sole  heir.  He  must  be  kept  as 
long  as  possible  in  utter  ignorance  of  his  uncle's 
death.  You  must  help  him  to  spend  money;  I  will 
furnish  what  he  needs  and  take  his  note  for  double 
the  amount,  and  thus  we  will  eventually  absorb  his 
entire  inheritance.  Last  night  I  bought  the  note 
which  is  giving  him  so  much  trouble  and  therefore 
there  can  be  no  complications.  You  have  only  to 
do  your  part  with  your  usual  skill,  and  I  will  attend 
to  the  rest.  Hurry." 

He  went  over  it  carefully  word  by  word,  down 
to  the  end  and  then  began  again  and  read  to  the 
finish,  and  then  the  slip  of  paper  dropped  to  the  floor 
and  he  turned  away  his  head  and  wept.  Paul  Dyke 
sat  still  with  bowed  head  and  hands  tightly  clasped 
together  upon  his  knees,  waiting  for  the  storm  of 
grief  to  subside  and  it  was  the  saddest  wating  of  all 
his  life.  A  dead  cold  pain  came  into  his  heart  as  he 
thought  that  a  storm  of  reproach  might  come  from 
the  lips  of  George  Langdon  when  the  tempest  of 
grief  which  was  sweeping  over  his  soul  had  spent  its 


The  Image  of  a  Dead  Friend.        273 

force.  Finally  the  silent  weeping  of  Langdon  changed 
to  passionate  sobs,  and  Paul  Dyke  arose  and  began 
to  pace  the  floor,  with  one  hand  clasping  his  forehead 
and  the  other  pressed  just  over  his  heart.  The  weep- 
ing of  George  Langdon  recalled  from  the  sad  and 
shadowy  past  his  dear  lost  Valentina,  for  those  were 
the  very  echoes  of  her  sobbing  when  grieved,  in  the 
long  ago.  The  moments  seemed  to  him  as  hours 
and  every  sob  which  came  from  the  lips  of  his  young 
friend  brought  a  thrill  of  pain  to  his  own  heart  and 
lessened  his  ability  to  preserve  his  composure; 
therefore  he  would  not  remain  in  the  room — he 
would  go  out  into  the  corridor  and  walk  there  where 
he  could  not  hear  the  weeping  voice  of  his  boyhood 
friend  and  sweetheart.  Hastily  he  approached  the 
door,  grasped  and  turned  the  knob  which  gave  forth 
a  sharp  clicking  sound,  but  the  door  did  not  open, 
for  Langdon  had  locked  it  when  they  entered  the 
room. 

"Paul!"  It  was  the  grieved  voice  of  Valentina. 
"Paul,  do  not  go  away,  I  cannot  endure  my  sorrow 
alone,"  and  George  Langdon  arose  from  his  chair 
and  held  out  his  hands  appealingly. 

"And  you  shall  not  be  left  alone,  for  I  will  help 
you  to  be  strong  and  brave.  I  only  thought  to  leave 
you  for  a  little  while.  I  was  only  going  to  walk  in 
the  corridor  and  strive  to  recover  my  composure,  for 
your  grief  is  mine  also."  While  they  talked,  Paul 
Dyke  had  returned  to  his  seat  by  George  Langdon's 

f!8] 


274  Joshua  Humble. 

side,  grasped  his  outstretched  hands  and  gazed  pity- 
ingly into  his  tearful  eyes.  "But  tell  me,  truly,"  he 
continued,  in  a  tremulous  tone,  "that  you  do  not 
blame  me  for  the  part  that  I  have  acted  in  this  dread- 
ful affair,  or  at  least  that  you  will  forgive  me.  I 
have  wronged  you  my  dear  boy,  only  in  having  kept 
you  in  ignorance  of  the  death  of  your  uncle.  In  all 
else,  I  have  been  honest,  frank  and  sincere  with  you, 
and  as  God  is  my  judge  and  witness,  my  motives 
have  been  only  those  of  an  honest  and  faithful 
friend,  and  protector." 

"I  see — I  see  it  all  now!"  replied  Langdon,  "and 
I  do  not  blame  you  in  the  least  Paul,  not  in  the 
slightest  degree.  If  you  had  told  me  of  the  death 
of  my  dear  uncle  I  would  have  returned  home  imme- 
diately regardless  of  consequences,  and  would  thus 
have  placed  myself  wholly  witnin  the  power  of  that 
scheming,  dangerous  man,  Miserleigh,  and  would 
have  gone  straight  to  disgrace.  I  appreciate  the 
wisdom  of  your  course  in  the  matter  and  implicitly 
believe  in  your  honor  and  friendship,  and  therefore 
I  have  nothing  to  forgive.  I  have  been  vexed  be- 
cause you  would  not  permit  me  to  pay  any  of  your 
expenses,  in  accordance  with  my  arrangement  with 
Miserleigh,  but  now  I  understand  you  in  that  matter 
also.  You  would  not  apply  the  lancet — God  bless 
you !  and  thereby  you  have  brought  Sol.  Miserleigh 's 
wicked  schemes  concerning  me  to  naught." 


The  Image  of  a  Dead  Friend.        275 

"How  straight  you  go  to  the  bottom  of  my  de- 
signs in  this  affair,"  replied  Paul,  "and  you  gener- 
ously relieved  me  of  a  very  painful  and  difficult  ex- 
planation, because  I  could  not  say  to  you  concerning 
myself  what  you  have  discovered  by  a  very  simple 
process  of  reasoning.  And  now  my  dear  boy,  how 
do  you  propose  to  act?" 

"I  am  willing  to  trust  you  implicity  Paul,  and 
yield  myself  wholly  to  your  guidance,"  replied  Lang- 
don  earnestly. 

"I  accept  the  responsibility,  George,"  said  Paul, 
"but  I  must  have  time  to  think.  Let  us  retire  for 
we  are  both  weary.  Good  night." 

"Good  night  Paul,"  responded  Langdon,  "do  not 
worry — all  will  come  out  right  in  the  end.  There  is 
a  God  and  He  is  good  and  just."  And  so  they 
parted  for  the  night. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 
A  STILL  HUNT  WHICH  FAILED. 

Savages,  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  select  the  few 
charmed  moments  of  early  day  dawn  when  all  of 
human  life  are  deaf,  dumb  and  still  in  restful  slum- 
ber, as  the  most  favorable  time  for  an  attack  upon 
their  enemies;  and  remembering  this  fact,  and  in 
imitation  of  the  savage  custom,  the  Chief  of  Police 
had  selected  that  hour  of  the  morning  for  his  raid 
upon  Sol.  Miserleigh's  old  warehouse.  He  had  not 
deemed  it  necessary  to  place  a  watch  upon  the  prem- 
ises because  of  the  storm  which  had  threatened  all 
the  afternoon  and  violently  burst  forth  in  the  early 
evening  and  continued  in  a  steady  pour  of  rain  all 
night.  The  storm,  he  reasoned,  would  drive  the 
birds  to  cover  during  the  night  and  the  entire  covey 
could  in  the  early  morning  be  easily  snared  by  a 
single  cast  of  the  net.  Therefore  at  the  proper  time, 
just  as  the  gray  light  of  dawn  began  to  appear  in 
the  east,  a  covered  patrol  wagon  containing  a  dozen 
stalwart  and  heavily  armed  police  officers  in  charge 
of  a  captain,  left  the  Central  Station  and  was  driven 
rapidly  along  the  street  toward  the  river  through 

(276) 


A  Still  Hunt  Which  Failed.          277 

a  perfect  deluge  of  rain.  Ten  minutes  later  the 
patrol  wagon  dashed  into  the  alley  and  stopped  in 
rear  of  Sol.  Miserleigh's  old  warehouse,  and  by  a 
few  well  directed  blows  with  an  ax,  an  opening  was 
made  in  the  fence  through  which  the  officers  gained 
entrance  to  the  yard  and  in  a  body,  with  weapons 
ready  for  instant  use,  boldly  advanced  to  the  attack. 
Greatly  to  their  surprise,  they  found  the  basement 
door  slightly  ajar  and  pushing  it  open  they  entered. 

"Gone !"  said  the  captain  as  he  paused  in  the 
middle  of  the  floor  and  flashed  his  bull's-eye  lantern 
around  the  room.  "Gone!"  he  repeated  dolefully 
and  assumed  a  listening  attitude.  Only  the  steady 
pour  of  rain  on  the  metal  roof  broke  the  profound 
stillness.  "But  search  the  house,"  he  added  as  he 
sat  down  in  a  chair  by  the  table  and  as  the  men 
hastened  to  obey  his  orders  he  drew  a  cigar  from  the 
inside  pocket  of  his  coat,  placed  it  in  his  mouth  and 
felt  in  his  vest  pocket  for  a  match  which  he  did  not 
find.  Glancing  toward  the  grate,  he  observed  a 
spark  of  fire  amid  the  ashes  and  a  piece  of  folded 
paper  upon  the  dead  embers,  and  stepping  over  to 
the  grate  he  picked  up  the  piece  of  paper  and  was 
upon  the  point  of  converting  it  into  a  lighter  for  his 
cigar,  when  observing  wrting  on  it  he  straightened 
it  out,  went  over  to  the  table,  sat  down  in  the  chair 
and  in  the  light  of  his  bulls-eye  lantern  read  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"5  30  p.  m. — To  M.  and  B. — The  cops  are  on  to 


278  Joshua  Humble. 

us,  the  jig  is  up  and  at  7  o'clock  we  will  be  fifty  miles 
from  the  city  and  will  not  return.  Get  away  from 
here  the  moment  you  read  this,  or  you  will  be  gob- 
bled up  and  run  in.  The  whole  scheme  has  been  dis- 
covered by  the  slopping  over  of  a  fool's  mouth." 

"It  is  a  case  of  skip"  he  said  reflectively  as  he 
folded  up  the  paper  and  put  it  in  the  inside  pocket 
of  his  coat.  "The  birds  have  flown,  and  I,  like  a 
greenhorn  on  a  false  snipe  hunt,  am  left  to  hold  the 
empty  sack;  the  only  difference  being  the  fact  that 
the  birds  were  actually  here,  but  by  resorting  to 
barbarian  methods  of  capture  I  suffered  them  to  es- 
cape. Stupidity,  thy  name  is  Burns !  This  note  is 
the  warning  of  the  gang  to  Blum  and  Miserleigh, 
who  evidently  came  here  during  the  night,  found 
the  note  upon  the  table  here,  cast  it  upon  the  grate 
and  hurried  away.  Contrary  to  their  expectations  it 
did  not  burn  because  the  draft  of  the  chimney 
sucked  it  away  from  the  fire.  But  we'll  get  the  head 
devils,  Miserliegh  and  Blum,  for  doubtless  they  are 
now  at  their  homes  sound  asleep.  It  is  a  dark  morn- 
ing and,  thanks  to  the  storm,  they  will  be  in  no 
hurry  to  get  away  because  they  do  not  imagine  that 
we  have  uncovered  the  whole  plot." 

At  that  the  officers  returned  from  their  search 
and  reported  the  house  deserted.  "Well,  let  us  go," 
replied  the  captain  and  they  passed  out,  closed  the 
door,  got  into  the  wagon  and  were  driven  direct  to 
the  residence  of  Jacob  Blum.  ' 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 
COMPLEX  PROBLEMS. 

In  response  to  a  heavy  knock  upon  the  door  by 
the  chief,  Hunchback  Mose  appeared,  and  without  a 
word  of  inquiry  or  explanation  the  officers  pushed 
him  aside  and  entered  the  house.  Passing  along  the 
dark  and  narrow  hallway,  they  came  to  the  door  of 
the  sleeping  apartment  of  Jacob  and  Leah,  which, 
without  knocking  they  opened  and  entered.  The 
room  was  dark;  its  one  small  window  which  looked 
out  into  a  narrow  alleyway,  with  a  tall  brick  build- 
ing on  the  opposite  side,  gave  within  the  room  only 
a  glimmering  twilight  even  in  bright  clear  weather, 
at  midday,  and  on  this  dark  and  stormy  morning 
it  ushered  into  the  partment  but  a  faint  glow  of  light. 

Just  within  the  doorway  the  officers  paused,  be- 
ing unable  to  advance  by  reason  of  the  darkness, 
and  the  captain  drew  the  slide  from  the  front  of  his 
bulls-eye  lantern  and  flashed  its  brilliant  light  around 
the  room.  It  contained  three  chairs,  a  round  top 
table  and  a  bed,  on  which,  propped  to  a  half  sitting 
posture,  was  the  gaunt  withered  form  of  a  woman 
with  long  snow  white  hair,  unloosed  and  brushed 

(279) 


280  Joshua  Humble. 

back  from  a  high  bald  forehead,  on  which  great 
beads  of  perspiration  gathered  in  quick  succession 
and  trickled  down  her  face.  Her  large  brown  eyes 
were  wide  open  and  bore  the  peculiar  expression 
of  those  of  a  soul  in  the  throes  of  mortal  dissolution, 
and  bordering  upon  that  condition  of  unconscious- 
ness which  immediately  precedes  the  last  grasp  for 
the  breath  of  life.  As  the  brilliant  light  of  the  lan- 
tern flashed  upon  her  face,  it  roused  her  from  the 
dreadful  stupor  into  which  she  had  fallen  an  hour 
before,  and  with  a  sudden  convulsive  movement  she 
clasped  her  thin  hands  together,  raised  herself  to  an 
upright  sitting  posture,  peered  around  wildly  into 
the  darkness  and  moaned  in  a  faint  tremulous  voice : 

"Oh,  Yacob,  Yacob,  vy  did  you  go  avay,  ven  I 
vas  so  sick !  so  sick !  so  sick  ?  Oh,  Yacob,  mine  hus- 
band, we  live  together  tirty  year,  und  I  vas  alvays 
good  to  you  und  love  you,  und  now  ven  I  grows 
blind  und  cold  you  goes  avay  und  leave  me  to  die 
all  alone.  Oh,  Yacob,  Yacob,  vere  vas  you  now? 
Don't  you  know  dat  your  Leah  vas  dying — dying? 
Oh,  Yacob,  Yacob,  come  back,  come  back!  Oh — 
ah!"  The  terrible  death-rattle  in  her  throat  cut 
short  her  words,  and  with  a  convulsive  shudder  she 
sank  backward  upon  her  pillow — dead. 

Martha,  who  when  the  officers  entered  the  room 
was  sitting  in  a  chair  by  the  bedside,  arose  as  Leah 
began  to  moan  and  talk  and  endeavored  to  sooth 
her  with  kind  words  and  caresses.  Old  Leah  had 


Complex  Problems.  281 

always  been  gentle  and  kind  to  Martha  and  she  in 
turn  loved  the  poor,  suffering  old  woman,  and  for 
years  had  nursed  her  with  gentle  care  and  anxious 
solicitude,  and  now  in  her  last  moments,  with  gentle 
pathetic  words  she  endeavored  to  deaden  the  pangs 
of  death.  When  all  was  over,  and  the  last  breath  had 
left  the  frail  body  of  old  Leah,  Martha  gently  kissed 
the  cold  face,  folded  the  pulseless  hands  across  the 
still  bosom,  closed  the  dead  eyes,  and  then  sank 
down  in  the  chair  by  the  bedside  and  wept. 

"Come!"  said  the  captain  to  his  men,  and  in 
silence  they  withdrew  from  the  chamber  of  death, 
leaving  Martha  alone  in  the  darkness.  In  the  hall- 
way the  captain  detailed  an  officer  to  watch  the  prem- 
ises, and  at  the  outer  door  he  encountered  Hunch- 
back Mose,  of  whom  he  inquired  gruffly: 

"Are  you  Blum's  brother?" 

"Yaw,"  replied  Mose  quiveringly. 

"Where  is  he?" 

"I  don't  know.  He  vent  avay  mit  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh  about  dark  last  night  und  he  don't  come  back 
any  more." 

"With  Sol.  Miserleigh!"  echoed  the  captain — 
"ah!"  and  without  further  speech  he  joined  his  men 
in  the  patrol  wagon  which  was  driven  rapidly  away. 
Ten  minutes  later  they  turned  into  a  business  street 
and  went  dashing  at  full  speed  by  the  office  of  Sol. 
Miserleigh,  where  the  captain,  as  he  looked  from 
the  rear  window  of  the  patrol  wagon,  beheld  a  most 


282  Joshua  Humble. 

>M 

comical  scene.  In  the  wide  open  doorway  sat  Mr. 
Grubb  in  Miserleigh's  leather  cushioned  office  chair 
which  he  had  wheeled  into  that  position.  His  feet 
were  placed  high  up  on  the  door  casing  and  he  had 
rocked  back  to  a  half  reclining  posture.  His  hat 
was  tilted  over  on  the  left  side  of  his  head  almost 
covering  his  ear.  In  his  mouth  was  a  huge  cigar, 
four  inches  in  length  freshly  lighted  and  from  his 
lips  issued  a  stream  of  white  smoke  which  circled 
above  his  head  and  floated  away  in  dense  whirling 
clouds.  As  the  patrol  wagon  went  dashing  by,  Mr. 
Grubb  merely  raised  his  head  from  its  comfortable 
rest  on  the  back  of  the  chair,  lifted  his  hat  with  his 
left  hand,  bowed  twice  with  a  comical  air  of  self- 
confidence  and  satisfaction,  and  finally,  by  way  of 
a  parting  salute,  swung  aloft  a  pair  of  bright  steel 
handcuffs  which  he  held  in  his  right  hand. 

"Go  it,  old  boys,  dash  around  in  the  rain  and 
mud  after  the  imps,  but  I'll  capture  the  head  devil 
here  in  his  den !"  ejaculated  Mr.  Grubb  with  a  broad 
grin  and  a  succession  of  chuckling  sounds  as  he 
settled  back  into  his  former  comfortable  position. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 
AN  EARLY  MORNING  VISIT. 

It  then  lacked  a  quarter  of  seven  o'clock,  and  at 
seven  precisely  the  patrol  wagon  drew  up  in  front 
of  the  Miserleigh  residence  where  the  officers 
alighted  and  surrounded  the  building.  The  captain 
went  direct  to  the  front  door  and  rang  the  bell  vio- 
lently but  there  was  no  response.  Again  and  again 
he  rang  with  the  same  result  and  finally  he  went 
around  to  the  rear,  where  he  found  the  kitchen  door 
unlocked,  and  the  old  negro  man  servant  in  the  act 
of  kindling  a  fire  in  the  range.  The  sudden  appear- 
ance of  the  police  officers  struch  terror  to  the  soul 
of  old  Pompey,  who  immediately  began  to  quiver 
and  chatter  like  an  ensnared  ape  in  his  native  wilds, 
and  was  utterly  unable  to  answer  a  single  question 
intelligently,  and  hence,  they  left  him  groveling  in 
a  corner  of  the  room,  vehemently  protesting  his  in- 
nocence of  any  misdemeanor,  and  tried  the  dining 
room  door.  It  was  unlocked  and  they  pushed  it 
open  and  entered  the  room. 

"A  leaking  gas  pipe !"  said  the  captain,  as  he  went 
to  the  window  and  raised  the  sash  to  let  in  fresh 

(283) 


284  Joshua  Humble. 

air.  In  the  hall  the  odor  of  gas  was  stifling  and  they 
opened  the  front  door  wide.  A  careful  search  of 
every  room  and  closet  in  the  main  portion  of  the 
mansion  failed  to  discover  the  presence  of  any  per- 
son and  finally  they  came  to  the  apartment  of  Aurelia 
in  the  tower.  The  door  was  unlocked  and  they 
pushed  it  open  and  entered  the  room.  Quickly,  they 
raised  the  windows  and  turned  the  thumb  screws  of 
the  burners  so  as  to  stop  the  flow  of  gas  into  the 
room,  and  then  the  captain  advanced  and  placed  his 
hand  upon  Mrs.  Miserleigh's  face.  "Dead!"  said 
he  in  a  hushed  voice,  and  then  he  touched  the  hand 
of  Aurelia.  "Dead !"  he  repeated,  "stone  dead  poor 
soul!  A  deliberate  suicide  and  a  cruel  murder. 
Merciful  God!  What  an  unpardonable  sin  for  a 
human  soul  to  burden  itself  with  in  its  last  moments 
on  earth!" 

An  officer,  who  had  been  detailed  to  search  the 
dining  room  and  its  closets,  entered  the  room  at  that 
moment.  "Here,  Captain,"  he  said  holding  out  a 
letter,  "I  found  this  on  the  table  in  the  dining  room." 

The  captain  took  the  letter  from  the  officer's 
hand  and  read  aloud  the  superscription :  "To  whom 
it  may  concern."  Turning  it  over  in  his  hand  he 
contemplated  it  a  few  moments  thoughtfully  and 
finally  said:  "This  will  doubtless  explain  this  mys- 
tery; let  us  see."  With  that  he  broke  the  seal,  drew 
forth  the  letter  from  its  envelope  and  read  the  fol- 
lowing : 


Jin  Early  Morning  Visit.  285 

"To  the  police  officer  or  coroner, 
or  whoever  may  find  this : 

"I  Celestine  Miserleigh,  being  of  sound  mind  and 
in  perfect  bodily  health,  and  being  about  to  pass  to 
another  stage  of  existence,  concerning  which  I  know 
nothing  and  care  not,  because  it  cannot  be  more 
wretched  than  the  life  which  I  have  lived  on  earth — 
am  directly  and  wholly  responsible  for  my  own 
death  and  also  for  the  death  of  my  daughter,  Aurelia. 

"Years  ago,  a  Barnes  was  found  dead  over  by 
Creve  Coeur  Lake.  He  wronged  me  when  I  was 
a  mere  child,  and  when  I  became  a  woman  I  took 
away  his  life.  His  son  secretly  married  my  daughter 
Aurelia,  but  I  kept  them  apart  because  I  hated  the 
accursed  name  of  Barnes  and  I  turned  his  children 
adrift  upon  the  street — and  eventually  I  took  his  life 
also.  This  completed  my  earthly  mission,  and  now 
I  am  ready  to  try  another  world. 

"Sol.  is  not  worth  searching  for,  because  he  was 
merely  a  helpless  instrument  in  my  hands  for  the 
accomplishment  of  my  revenge.  He  is  only  an 
accursed  Barnes — let  him  go !  Tonight  I  drove  him 
forth  into  the  storm  and  he  will  never  return. 

"Celestine  Miserleigh." 

"Come, "  said  the  captain  to  his  men,  "let  us  go. 
Surely  we  have  had  horrors  enough  for  one  day," 
and  in  silence  they  departed,  leaving  a  watch  over 
the  dead  and  guards  at  the  front  and  rear  doors  of 
the  mansion. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 
JOSHUA  HUMBLE'S  PKOPHECY. 

At  eight  o'clock  on  that  eventful  morning,  Joshua 
Humble  entered  the  office  of  Sol.  Miserleigh  where 
he  found  Mr.  Grubb,  transformed  into  quite  a  re- 
spectable looking  individual,  seated  in  Miserleigh's 
office  chair  and  smoking  a  very  large  and  fragrant 
cigar,  with  evident  relish  and  satisfaction. 

"Ah,  good  morning,  Mr.  Humble!"  said  Grubb 
lowering  his  feet  from  their  lofty  perch  on  the  door 
casing  and  creeping  upward  in  his  chair  until  his 
body  assumed  an  upright  position.  "Glad  to  greet 
you  this  morning,  Mr.  Humble,  although  I  would 
much  prefer  to  welcome  the  individual  for  whose 
adornment  these  are  intended,"  he  added  with  a 
comical  wink  and  nod  displaying  the  handcuffs. 

"He  is  late  this  morning"  said  Mr.  Humble 
thoughtfully. 

"Yes,"  responded  Grubb,  "bad  weather,  but  he'll 
turn  up  presently  and  then  I'll  turn  him  down — to 
the  police  station !  Eh?" 

"You'll  catch  him  first?" 

"To  be   sure — ah!     pray   excuse   me,  there's   a 

(286) 


Joshua  Humbte's  Prophecy.  287 

letter  from  him  on  your  desk  over  there,  perhaps 
that  will  explain  his  tardiness  this  morning." 

Mr.  Humble  walked  over  to  his  desk  and  took 
the  letter  in  his  hand.  It  was  a  large  official  en- 
velope and  addressed  in  Miserleigh's  round  bold 
handwriting : 

"To  Hon.  Joshua  Humble." 

"Honorable !"  repeated  Mr.  Humble  with  em- 
phasis. "He's  insolently  facetious  and  grossly  in- 
sincere. I'm  weary  of  his  sickening  fawning  and 
flattery.  But  let  us  see  what  it  contains." 

"Ah,  yes,  that  is  important !"  replied  Mr.  Grubb, 
anxiously  as  he  walked  over  to  Mr.  Humble's  side. 

Joshua  Humble  leisurely  took  a  pair  of  scissors 
from  his  vest  pocket,  clipped  off  the  end  of  the  en- 
velope, drew  forth  its  enclosures  which  consisted  of 
a  legal  document  and  a  sheet  of  paper  on  which  was 
written  the  following,  which  Mr.  Humble  read  aloud : 
"Honorable  Joshua  Humble. 

"In  view  of  the  fact  that  I  can  no  longer  remain 
in  this  city,  and  must  immediately  and  speedily  go 
elsewhere,  never  to  return,  I  hereby  restore  to  you 
as  completely  as  it  is  possible  for  me  to  do  in  the 
limited  time  at  my  disposal,  the  value  equivalent  of 
the  property  which  you  transfered  to  me  twenty- 
five  years  ago,  in  order  to  save  your  son  from  ruin, 
and  your  own  honorable  name  from  disgrace.  After 
reimbursing  yourself  from  the  proceeds  of  my  estate, 
I  desire  that  the  residue  shall  be  transferred  by  you 
to  my  mother  and  sister. 

"If  you  will  calmly  and  dispassionately  consider 


288  Joshua  Humble. 

the  fact  that  I  am  voluntarily  restoring  your  own 
to  you  when  you  could  never  recover  it  by  any  other 
means,  I  think  you  will  be  willing  to  believe  that 
I  am  not  wholly  lost  to  all  sense  of  Justice;  and  if 
you  will  further  consider  the  fact  that  I  am  unre- 
servedly placing1  in  your  hands  my  entire  estate, 
which  is  many  times  more  valuable  than  the  prop- 
erty which  you  conveyed  to  me,  and  trusting  to  you 
to  take  therefrom  simply  your  own,  I  think  you 
will  also  be  willing  to  believe  that  I  have  unbounded 
confidence  in  your  integrity  and  honor. 

"I  go  hence,  a  homeless,  friendless  wanderer, 
with  the  brand  of  crime  upon  my  brain  and  heart 
and  its  awful  stain  upon  my  soul.  Whatever  I  have 
been  and  whatever  I  now  am,  may  be  truly  regarded 
as  the  simple  result  of  a  careful  course  of  training 
from  early  infancy,  for  one  specific  purpose,  the  ac- 
complishment of  which  ended  my  mission  as  an  in- 
strument of  vengeance 

"Sol.  Miserleigh." 

"True  and  clear  cut,*'  observed  Mr.  Grubb  lacon- 
ically, as  Joshua  Humble  laid  down  the  letter  and 
took  up  the  legal  document. 

"Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Humble,  it  is  at  least  clear 
and  concise.  Let  us  see  what  this  is,"  and  then  as  he 
unfolded  the  paper  and  glancing  at  the  printed  head- 
ing, he  read  slowly,  aloud: 

"General  Power  of  Attorney." 

"I  must  go,"  said  Mr.  Grubb,  starting  toward  the 
door.  I  am  tired  of  carrying  these  bracelets, 
(jingling  the  handcuffs  in  his  overcoat  pocket)  "and 
I  am  anxious  to  transfer  them  to  the  wrists  of  the 


Joshua  Mumble's  Prophecy.  289 

gentleman  for  whom  they  are  intended." 

"You  will  never  capture  Sol.  Miserleigh  alive, 
Mr.  Grubb,"  said  Joshua  Humble  impressively,  "but 
if  you  are  determined  to  go  in  search"  of  him,  I  ad- 
monish you  to  be  extremely  careful  and  discreet. 
In  him  you  have  no  ordinary  man  to  deal  with,  and 
if  hard  pressed  he  will  turn  and  hunt  his  pursuers 
to  the  death." 

"Eh?"  queried  Mr.  Grubb  derisively. 

"Don't  make  light  of  my  warning,  Mr.  Grubb," 
responded  Joshua  Humble  reproachfully. 

"By  no  means,  Mr.  Humble,  only  you  underes- 
timate my  abilities.  But  I  must  go;  every  moment 
is  precious  now — Good-bye,"  and  Mr.  Grubb  glided 
out  of  the  door  and  hurried  away. 

A  few  moments  later  Judge  Prye  entered  the 
office  and  greeted  Mr.  Humble  warmly,  but  added 
quickly  as  a  troubled  expression  came  upon  his 
face: 

"But  Sol.  Miserleigh  has  escaped  after  all?" 

"Yes,  for  the  present  he  is  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  law,  but  the  justice  of  the  Almighty  will  event- 
ually overtake  him,"  was  the  confident  reply,. 

Judge  Prye  remained  silent,  looking  down  upon 
the  floor,  evidently  waiting  for  Mr.  Humble  to  con- 
tinue his  observations,  but  as  he  also  relapsed  into 
silence,  after  an  awkward  pause  of  a  few  moments, 
Judge  Prye  glanced  upward  into  Joshua  Humble's 
face  and  said  in  .a  hushed  voice : 

[19] 


290  Joshua  Humble. 

"And  have  you  not  heard  of  the  dreadful  discov- 
ery by  the  police  at  the  Miserleigh  residence  this 
morning  ?" 

"No;"  replied  Mr.  Humble. 

Judge  Prye  then  related  to  him  the  experience  of 
the  captain  and  his  men,  from  the  time  of  their  de- 
parture from  the  Central  Station,  until  their  return, 
and  finally  added:  "And  thus  the  Miserleigh  estate 
is  suddenly  surrounded  by  very  grave  legal  compli- 
cations." 

"But  perhaps  this  may  simplify  matters,"  replied 
Mr.  Humble  as  he  produced  Sol.  Miserleigh's  letter 
which  Judge  Prye  perused  with  great  surprise  and 
interest,  and  then  Mr.  Humble  unfolded  the  legal 
document  and  read  aloud  as  follows: 
"Know  all  Men  by  These  Presents: 

"That  I,  Sol.  Miserleigh,  of  the  City  of  St.  Louis, 
in  the  State  of  Missouri,  have  made,  constituted  and 
appointed,  and  by  these  presents  do  make,  constitute 
and  appoint  Joshua  Humble,  of  the  City  of  St.  Louis, 
State  of  Missouri,  my  true  and  lawful  Attorney  in 
fact  for  me  and  in  my  name,  place  and  stead,  to  bar- 
gain, sell  and  convey,  any  or  all  of  the  real  or  per- 
sonal property  of  which  I  am  possessed,  and  to  de- 
vote the  proceeds  thereof  to  whatsoever  purpose  he 
may  elect,  and  to  conduct  and  control,  continue  or 
discontinue  my  present  business  as  he  may  elect, 
and  to  collect  my  dues  by  legal  or  other  processes, 
and  pay  my  debts  and  sign  my  name  in  receipt  and 
in  obligation ;  and  hereby  giving  and  granting  to  my 
said  Attorney  full  power  and  authority  to  do  and 
perform  all  and  every  act  and  thing  whatsoever  re- 


Joshua  Mumble's  Prophecy.          291 

quisite  and  necessary  to  be  done  in  the  matters  afore- 
said as  fully,  to  all  intents  and  purposes  as  I  might 
or  could  do  if  personally  present  at  the  doing  thereof, 
with  full  power  of  substitution  or  revocation,  here- 
by ratifying  and  confirming  all  that  my  said  Attor- 
ney, or  his  substitute,  may  or  shall  lawfully  do,  or 
cause  to  be  done  by  virtue  hereof. 

"In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my 
hand  and  seal,  this  I7th  day  of  November,  18 — ,  at 
10  o'clock  p.  m. 

"Sol.  Miserleigh. 
Witnesses : 

"L.  Vincent  De  Baun.  \ 
"Phil  H.  Ryan."  J 

Then  followed  a  notary's  certificate,  with  his  seal 
of  office  affixed  in  groper  form. 

As  Joshua  Humble  concluded  the  reading  of  the 
document  and  laid  it  down  upon  his  desk,  Judge 
Prye  grasped  him  by  the  hand  and  earnestly  con- 
gratulated him  upon  the  marvelous  events,  which 
within  the  space  of  three  days  had  restored  him  to 
liberty  and  affluence,  and  then  they  arose  and  went 
out  upon  the  street,  locked  the  office  door  and 
walked  away  arm  in  arm  conversing  together  in  low 
and  earnest  tones. 

At  three  o'clock  that  afternoon,  the  Coroner  held 
an  inquest  .over  the  remains  of  Aurelia  and  her 
mother,  and  on  the  following  day,  all  that  remained 
on  earth  of  those  two  unhappy  beings  was  borne 
away  in  silence  under  a  weeping  sky,  and  lowered 
into  graves,  scarce  a  dozen  yards  from  the  last  rest- 
ing place  of  William  Barnes  and  his  father. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 
AFTERMATH  OF  A  CONSPIRACY. 

When  Jacob  Blum  parted  from  Sol.  Miserleigh 
at  the  street  corner  near  the  old  warehouse  on  Pop- 
lar Street,  he  was  trembling  with  exictement  and 
apprnhension,  and,  without  noticing  the  direction, 
he  walked  rapidly  two  squares  during  which  he  was 
utterly  unable  to  command  his  thoughts.  His  mind 
was  in  a  state  of  chaos,  and  his  heart  throbbed  so 
violently  that  it  sounded  in  his  ears  like  the  beating 
of  a  bass  drum  close  by  his  side.  He  walked  in 
the  middle  of  the  street  and  could  scarcely  refrain 
from  casting  himself  prone  upon  the  ground  when- 
ever he  heard  the  sound  of  human  footsteps  upon 
the  brick  pavement.  The  single  idea  uppermost  in 
his  mind  was  that  he  must  escape  observation,  and 
the  one  purpose  by  which  he  was  governed,  was  swift 
and  immediate  flight.  Finally  when  the  idea  of  direc- 
tion came  to  his  mind,  he  observed  that  he  had 
walked  two  squares  due  west,  and  there  under  the 
awning  of  an  unoccupied  store  building  he  paused, 
out  of  the  light  of  the  street  lamp,  and  gazed  out- 
ward and  upward  to  the  heavy  masses  of  whirling 

(293) 


Jtftermath  of  a  Conspiracy.          293 

clouds  drifting  across  the  sky,  and  listened  to  the 
mournful  sigh  of  the  wind  through  the  leafless 
branches  of  the  trees  along  the  pavement. 

Removing  his  hat  from  his  head,  he  ran  his 
fingers  like  a  comb  through  the  heavy  tangled  mass 
of  wiry  hair,  and  then  with  the  fingers  of  his  left 
hand  he  beat  a  tattoo  upon  his  low  retreating  fore- 
head, while  with  his  right  hand  he  stroked  his  long 
coarse  beard,  frequently  chucking  his  first  under  his 
chin  and  making  his  teeth  snap  together  like  the  jaws 
of  a  steel  trap  suddenly  released  from  the  confine- 
ment of  its  spring.  It  was  one  of  his  peculiar  habits 
when  greatly  perplexed. 

Finally  his  resolution  was  formed,  and  he  moved 
at  a  quick  pace — almost  a  run — passing  through  the 
dark  alleys  and  across  vacant  lots,  until  in  the  west- 
ern suburbs  he  came  to  a  broad  highway  leading  in 
a  southwesterly  direction,  along  which  he  hurried  in 
frantic  haste. 

Finally  he  ascended  a  high  rocky  ridge,  and  when 
he  reached  the  summit  he  turned  and  looked  back- 
ward. In  the  distance  the  thousands  of  lights  of 
the  city  gleamed  and  scintillated  in  the  darkness,  like 
jack-o-lanterns  floating  over  a  vast  swamp,  and  he 
covered  his  face  with  his  hands  and  wept.  •*<>>•- 

"Poor  Leah!"  he  moaned  between  convulsive 
sobs,  "poor  old  vife,  perhaps  you  vas  dying  now. 
Oh,  voe,  voe!  vat  shall  I  do?  O'  Gott  vat  shall 
I  do?" 


294  Joshua  Humble. 

His  appeal* to  Deity  was  quickly  answered;  at 
that  moment  the  roar  of  the  advancing  storm  at- 
tracted his  attention  and  immediately  there  came  a 
deafening  peal  of  thunder  and  a  blinding  flash,  and 
he  knew  no  more.  Lightning  had  struck  the  tall 
tree  under  which  he  was  standing,  shivering  its 
boughs,  plowing  a  deep  furrow  down  its  trunk  and 
expending  its  force  in  the  ground  beneath  his  feet. 

A  market  gardener  going  to  the  city  with  a  wagon 
load  of  vegetables  in  the  early  morning,  found  him 
there,  prone  upon  the  ground — dead,  and  reported 
the  fact  to  a  mounted  police  officer  whom  he  met 
soon  afterward.  At  eight  o'clock  the  body  of  Jacob 
Blum  was  placed  upon  a  marble  slab  in  the  city 
morgue,  but  it  was  nearly  noon  before  it  was  posi- 
tively identified  by  a  police  officer-  whose  beat  in- 
cluded that  quarter  of  the  city  where  the  deceased 
had  lived  for  fifteen  years.  After  the  Coroner's  in- 
quest the  remains  were  prepared  for  burial  by  an 
undertaker  and  conveyed  to  the  Blum  residence.  In 
accordance  with  previous  arrangement  the  casket 
containing  the  remains  of  old  Leah  was  placed  in 
the  hearse  beside  those  of  her  husband,  and  in  the 
dull  twilight  of  a  stormy  evening  they  were  borne 
away  to  the  cemetery  and  lowered  into  graves,  by 
strange  rude  men,  who  piled  the  cold  wet  earth 
above  them  and  left  them  there  to  sleep  until  the 
coming  of  the  Lord. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 
CHANGE  IN  A  HUMAN  LIFE. 

When  Martha  and  Mose  returned  to  their  home 
from  the  burial  of  Jacob  and  Leah,  they  found  Judge 
Prye  and  Joshua  Humble  awaiting  them  there.  In 
a  very  courteous  and  pleasant  manner  Mr.  Humble 
introduced  himself  and  Judge  Prye  to  Martha,  and 
then  briefly  explained  the  object  of  their  visit.  In 
a  few  well  chosen  words  Mr.  Humble  gave  Martha 
an  outline  of  her  early  history  and  then  kindly  in- 
vited her  to  his  home.  "I  will  be  a  father  to  you, 
dear  child,"  he  said,  "and  my  good  sister  will  be  a 
mother  to  you  in  affection.  Come  and  join  our  fam- 
ily circle  and  be  one  of  us."  And  so,  amid  tears  of 
mingled  joy  and  grief  and  many  kind  words  of  part- 
ing to  Hunchback  Mose,  who  stood  alone  on  the 
doorstep  of  his  silent  and  desolate  home,  Martha 
was  escorted  to  the  carriage  in  waiting  for  that  pur- 
pose and  conveyed  to  the  home  of  Joshua  Humble, 
where  she  was  warmly  welcomed  by  its  kind  and 
generous  mistress. 

-      Little  Alice  was    especially    delighted    with  the 
prospect  of  having  a  young,  beautiful  and  sympa- 

(295) 


296  Joshua  Humble. 

thetic  companion  and  went  immediately  to  Martha, 
climbed  upon  her  lap  and  said: 

"Auntie  says  that  the  Blum  people  called  you 
Martha,  but  that  your  sure  enough  name  is  Valen- 
tina,  because  you  were  born  on  St.  Valentine's  day. 
And  so  I  will  always  call  you  Valentina — Sister  Val- 
entina,  because  you  have  no  real  sister,  you  know;" 
and  then  she  began  relating  fairy  stories  and  in  many 
charming  ways  endeavored  to  render  herself  agree- 
able and  amusing. 

And  so  the  evening  passed  pleasantly  away,  and 
the  following  day  was  spent  by  the  two  ladies  and 
little  Alice  in  shopping,  during  which  a  good  supply 
of  wearing  apparel  was  purchased  for  Valentina.  In 
her  childish  anxiety  to  see  how  her  new  friend  would 
look  in  the  new  dress  which  the  child  had  been  per- 
mitted to  select,  little  Alice  could  scarcely  wait  for 
Valentina  to  remove  her  wraps,  on  their  return  home 
about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  while  the  good 
mistress  was  superintending  the  preparation  of  the 
evening  meal,  Valentina  to  please  the  child,  put  on 
the  favorite  dress,  put  up  her  hair  in  the  latest  style 
and  in  many  other  respects  added  to  her  beauty  and 
personal  attractiveness. 

"Oh,  Sister,  how  beautiful  you  are  now!"  ex- 
claimed Alice  after  Valentina  had  completed  her 
toilet.  "Come,  let  us  go  down  to  the  sitting  room 
and  hear  what  Grandpa  and  Auntie  will  say ;"  and  so, 
hand  in  hand,,  they  went  down  the  stairs,  gently 


Change  in  a  Human  Life.  297 

opened  the  door  of  the  sitting  room  and  noiselessly 
entered. 

Joshua  Humble,  who  sat  by  the  fire  reading  the 
evening  newspaper,  glanced  toward  the  door  as  it 
swung  open,  and  as  Valentina  appeared  he  took  the 
spectacles  from  his  eyes,  arose  to  his  feet,  and  bowed 
courteously.  For  an  instant  he  did  not  recognize 
the  very  stylish  and  handsome  young  lady  before 
him,  but  the  joyous,  rippling  laugh  of  little  Alice 
quickly  enabled  him  to  fathom  the  mystery,  and 
advancing  with  an  amused  smile  upon  his  face,  he 
placed  his  hand  upon  Valentina's  head  and  said  to 
her  in  a  soft  gentle  tone : 

"Ah,  that  is  right,  daughter,  that  is  as  it  should 
be !  You  are  an  heiress  and  the  daughter  of  a  noble 
man  and  a  pure  good  woman.  If  you  remain  as 
good  and  pure  as  you  are  beautiful,  which  I  doubt 
not,  your  life  will  be  but  a  succession  of  joys." 

He  would  have  said  more,  but  at  that  moment 
the  servant  announced  supper  and  they  repaired  to 
the  dining  room  where  the  mistress  warmly  compli- 
mented Valentina  on  her  improved  appearance,  and 
then  they  sat  down  to  the  evening  meal.  The  con- 
versation at  the  table  was  very  pleasant  and  enter- 
taining, especially  that  of  little  Alice,  who  on  this 
occasion,  given  full  liberty  of  speech,  embraced  the 
opportunity  to  relate  very  charmingly  a  new  fairy 
story  which 'her  grandpa  had  not  heard,  and  then, 


298  Joshua  Humble. 

*  * 

•fcs  usual,  clrew  a  moral  of  her  own  conception,  which 
greatly  excited  the  mirth  of  her  listeners. 
t    "Why,  she  is  a  bright  little  sunbeam!"  said  Val- 
entina,  patting  her  affectionately  upon  the  head. 
'•    "She  is  the  light  of  our  home,"  replied  Joshua 
Humble  earnestly. 


CHAPTER  XUX. 
A  JOYOUS  REUNION. 

At  that  instant  the  front  door  bell  rang  and  the 
servant  was  hastening  to  answer  the  summons,  but 
Mr.  Humble  recalled  her,  saying:  "Never  mind, 
Katie,  I  will  go,"  and  rising  from  the  table  he  passed 
out  into  the  hall  closing  the  door  behind  him. 

[When  the  door  bell  rang,  Valentina  paused  and 
listened,  and  then  as  Mr.  Humble  arose  from  the 
table  she  laid  down  her  knife  and  fork,  and  leaned 
back  in  her  chair  in  an  attitude  of  wrapt  attention. 

A  strange  sensation  came  to  her  heart,  a  feeling 
of  blissful  expectancy — a  joyous  thrill  which  she 
could  not — did  not  try  to  understand — only  she 
knew  that  the  sweet  spirit  of  an  old  love  had  taken 
possession  of  her  soul,  and  in  breathless  silence  she 
waited  for  the  joyous  consummation  of  a  hope  with- 
out form  or  substance. 

Voices  echoed  in  the  hall — the  voice  of  Joshua 
Humble  in  kindly  greeting  and  other  voices  in  joy- 
ous response,  but  Valentina  heard  but  one  voice,  and 
it  sent  the  warm  blood  coursing  through  her  veins 
with  lightning  speed.  Slowly  she  arose  to  her  feet 

(299) 


300  Joshua  Humble. 

and  mechanically  she  moved  toward  the  sitting  room 
door,  with  the  peculiar  gliding  motion  of  one  walk- 
ing in  sleep.  The  door  had  been  left  open,  and  in 
the  doorway  she  paused  trembling  with  excitement, 
her  face  white  as  marble,  her  eyes  beaming  with  a 
strange  soft  light.  Her  attitude  was  that  of  eloquent, 
pathetic  appeal  for  recognition,  and  it  was  not  long 
delayed.  A  moment  and  Joshua  Humble,  accom- 
panied by  George  Langdon  and  Paul  Dyke,  entered 
the  room. 

"Paul!" 

He  glanced  up  and  beheld  Valentina  standing  in 
the  doorway. 

"Paul!" 

And  she  held  out  both  hands  toward  him  and 
moved  slowly  forward,  her  head  thrown  backward 
in  a  beautiful  pose,  and  her  face  radiant  with  joy. 

"Valentina!  in  God's  name  are  you  in  the  flesh, 
or  only  in  spirit  ?"  was  all  he  could  say  as  he  shaded 
his  face  with  his  hand. 

In  the  flesh !  dear  Paul,  in  the  flesh,  thank  God !" 
she  answered  joyfully  as  she  reached  his  side  and 
grasped  his  outstretched  hands. 

It  was  a  joyful  meeting  and  Joshua  Humble 
modestly  turned  away  his  head  and  George  Barnes 
instantly  discovered  something  very  interesting  in 
the  fire,  and  a  few  moments  later  they  both  silently 
withdrew,  leaving  the  lovers  alone  together  in 
speechless  happiness. 


J}  Joyous  Reunion.  301 

Half  an  hour  afterwards,  the  meeting  of  brother 
and  sister,  though  less  demonstrative,  was  not  less 
joyful.  Twenty  years  before  they  had  drifted  away 
from  each  other  upon  the  street  and  even  that  fact 
had  long  since  vanished  from  their  minds. 

Little  Alice  seemed  very  favorably  impressed 
with  George  Barnes.  In  the  excitement  of  the  meet- 
ing of  brother  and  sister,  of  lover  and  sweetheart, 
after  many  years  of  separation,  the  little  lady  had 
been  quite  forgotten,  and  there  she  stood,  close  by 
George  Barnes'  side,  casting  sly  and  timid  glances 
up  into  his  face  and  nervously  twining  her  nimble 
fingers  together.  Her  eyes  were  very  bright  and 
expressive ;  a  delicate  rose-tinted  spot  had  come  upon 
either  cheek  and  her  lips  were  slightly  parted,  be- 
traying the  intense  preoccupation  of  her  mind. 
Finally,  her  earnest  scrutiny  of  his  countenance  at- 
tracted his  attention,  and  putting  out  his  hands  to- 
wards her  he  said: 

"This  I  presume  is  Miss  Alice,  is  it  not?" 

"Yes,"  she  replied  in  a  half  whisper,  and  in  a 
confidential  tone,  "I  am  Alice  Snow,  grandpa's  only 
daughter.  And  you  are  George  Barnes,  Valentina's 
only  brother.  I  thought  you  would  never  see  me — I 
stood  here  so  long  looking  up  into  your  face,  and 
you  looked  another  way  all  the  time." 

"Ah,  I  did  not  intend  to  slight  you,  little  lady," 
he  said  as  he  lifted  her  to  his  lap  and  added  with  a 
smile,  "how  old  are  you,  dear?" 


302  Joshua  Humble. 

"Eight  years,"  she  replied,  archly,  glancing  up 
into  his  face.  But  Grandpa  says  I  will  soon  be  a 
young  lady,  and  Av.ntie  says  not  very  soon,  and  so 
I  can't  find  out  just  when  I  will  be  grown,  but  it 
doesn't  matter  now,  I  suppose,  for  I  will  know  when 
that  time  comes." 

"Doubtless  you  will,"  he  replied  laughingly. 

"Do  you  know  I  dreamed  of  you  last  night? 
Funny,  isn't  it?  And  I  thought  I  lived  with  Grand- 
pa and  Auntie  in  a  very  large  and  beautiful  house, 
and  I  was  a  young  lady  and  wore  a  long  dress  of 
pale  blue  silk,  and  I  wore  a  diamond  necklace  and 
had  beautiful  diamond  rings  on  my  fingers  and  in  my 
ears,  and  my  skin  was  white  and  soft  as  velvet,  and 
my  hair  was  the  color  of  gold  and  dressed  some- 
thing in  style  of  Valentina's  now.  And  my  eyes 
were  very  blue  and  clear  and  my  lips  were  soft  and 
red." 

"A  very  true  likeness  of  what  you  will  be  ten 
years  hence,"  said  George  admiringly. 

"Perhaps  so.  Well  (as  I  say  in  my  fairy  stories), 
in  my  dream  last  night,  you  came  to  me  in  the  parlor 
of  my  beautiful  home  and  said  that  a  good  fairy  had 
told  you  to  come  and  ask  me  to  love  you.  You  said 
that  you  wanted  to  be  with  me  all  the  time  and  that 
you  wouldn't  try  to  live  without  me  any  longer,  and 
there  was  no  fun  for  either  of  us  in  living  alone. 
Well,  I  don't  know  what  I  said — in  fact  I  don't  be- 
lieve I  said  anything,  but  just  looked  down  upon  the 


*&  Joyous  Reunion.  303 

floor  and  blushed  and  smiled  and  my  heart  went  pit- 
a-pat! and  then  you  kissed  me,  and  I  awoke  to  find 
it  only  a  dream." 

.When  she  had  finished,  the  face  of  George  Barnes 
was  scarlet  and  he  bowed  his  head  and  kissed  her  on 
the  lips.  She  sat  still  a  moment  looking  up  into  his 
face  wonderingly,  her  large  blue  eyes  wide  open  and 
her  lips  slightly  parted,  and  then  with  a  sudden  and 
graceful  movement  she  put  her  arms  around  his 
neck,  and  as  a  charming  flush  came  upon  her  face, 
she  kissed  him  twice  upon  the  lips — soft  Idaintyi 
kisses,  and  then  she  crept  down  from  his  lap,  and 
tripped  lightly  away  in  search  of  her  auntie  who  at 
that  moment  was  occupied  with  her  domestic  duties 
in  another  part  of  the  house. 

Joshua  Humble  had  been  an  attentive  observer 
of  the  interesting  scene  between  George  Barnes  and 
little  Alice,  and  when  she  had  gone,  George  turned  to 
him  and  inquired  in  a  tremulous  tone; 

"Is  she  an  angel  or  a  child?" 

"Only  an  angelic  child,"  replied  Mr.  Humble, 
softly. 


CHAPTER  L. 
OCCURRENCES  OF  AN  EVENTFUL  YEAR. 

A  year  had  passed,  during  which  Paul  Dyke  had 
taken  to  wife  his  boyhood  sweetheart,  Valentina 
Barnes.  It  was  a  natural  sequence  and  provoked 
no  comment.  It  was  a  simple  matter  of  course,  for 
they  had  been  one  in  spirit  in  the  days  of  their  un- 
happy childhood  when  he  was  her  unselfish  friend 
and  valiant  protector,  and  so  in  the  day  of  their  pros- 
perity their  marriage  was  but  the 'consummation  of 
that  which  had  been  ordained  from  the  beginning. 

It  was  a  pure  and  holy  alliance,  a  genuine  heart 
union,  and  to  them  the  world  seemed  a  thousand- 
fold more  beautiful  and  life  infinitely  more  precious. 
The  Barnes  estate  had,  under  the  excellent  manage- 
ment of  Judge  Prye,  passed  safely  through  the  peri- 
lous process  of  settlement,  and  had  been  equally  di- 
vided between  George  and  Valentina  as  the  only 
heirs-at-law.  By  mutual  consent  the  Barnes  residence 
had  fallen  to  Valentina,  and  so  after  the  quiet  wed- 
ding at  the  home  of  Joshua  Humble  on  a  beautiful 
morning  in  May,  they  went  immediately  to  their 
home  and  there  quietly  began  to  live  a  new  and 
beautiful  life. 

<304) 


Occurrences  of  an  Eventful  Year.    305 

During  the  year  also,  Joshua  Humble  had  re- 
occupied  his  old  home  after  a  thorough  renovation 
and  refurnishing,  and  the  old  mansion  had  been  fully 
restored  to  its  former  elegance  and  comfort.  After 
an  earnest  though  friendly  contset  between  little 
Alice  and  Valentina  for  the  possession  of  the  person 
of  George,  the  former  gained  the  victory,  and  so 
he  had  removed  all  of  his  personal  belongings  to  the 
Humble  residence  and  permanently  became  one  of 
that  happy  family  circle. 

And  also  during  the  year  Joshua  Humble  had,  in 
accordance  with  his  power  of  attorney  from  Sol. 
Miserleigh,  converted  the  entire  Miserleigh  estate 
into  cash,  and  taken  from  it  his  own,  and  then  re- 
purchased his  former  residence  and  office  building 
from  L.  Vincent  De  Baum,  to  whom  he  had  sold  it 
to  clear  the  title.  The  residue  of  the  proceeds  of 
the  Miserleigh  estate  he  had  transferred  to  Valen- 
tina and  George  as  the  sole  legal  heirs  of  Aurelia 
and  Mrs.  Miserleigh,  and  thus  it  happened  that  in  the 
end,  the  untied  blood  of  Barnes  and  Miserleigh  in  the 
persons  of  brother  and  sister  joined  also  the  two 
estates,  and  love  filled  forever  the  place  which  hatred 
and  vengeance  had  long  usurped. 

The   old   office   building   had,   during   the   year, 
been  thoroughly  renovated  and  refurnished,  and  over 
the  door  a  new  sign  had  been  placed,  on  which  in 
large  letters  appeared  the  name  of  the  new  firm. 
"Humble,  Barnes  &  Dyke." 

[20] 


306  Joshua  Humble. 

When  all  had  been  completed,  and  the  new  firm 
had  been  well  started  upon  its  career  of  prosperity 
and  honor,  Joshua  Humble  said  to  his  partners, 
George  Barnes  and  Paul  Dyke: 

"Now  that  we  have  removed  the  last  relic  of  the 
sorrows  and  humiliations  of  the  past,  let  us  begin 
life  anew,  and  with  God's  help  and  guidance  may  we 
be  prosperous  and  happy." 

On  a  beautiful  May  morning  Mr.  Humble  found 
among  the  many  letters  upon  his  desk,  one  addressed 
to  him  in  familiar  handwriting,  which  bore  a  foreign 
stamp  and  postmark.  Although  his  curiosity  to 
know  its  contents  was  greatly  excited,  he  did  not 
open  it,  but  sat  gazing  at  it  dreamily  as  he  turned  it 
over  in  his  hands  saying  softly  to  himself : 

"Ah !  from  Mr.  Grubb — Phineas  Starley — a  queer 
comical  genius,  but  a  brave  and  brilliant  man.  Edu- 
cated for  the  Christian  ministry  he  turned  detective, 
and  has  been  far  more  successful  in  the  capture  of 
criminals  than  in  the  conversion  of  human  souls." 

At  that  juncture,  Paul  Dyke  and  George  Barnes 
entered  the  office  with  their  usual  cheerful  and  re- 
spectful morning  greeting,  to  which  Mr.  Humble  re- 
sponded in  his  usual  happy  voice  and  pleasant 
manner. 


CHAPTER  LI. 
EXPERIENCES  OF  MB.  GBUBB. 

"I  have  a  letter  here,"  said  Mr.  Humble;  "it  is 
from  Phineas  Starley,  and  I  will  read  it  aloud,  as  it 
will  doubtless  be  interesting  to  you  as  well  as  to 
myself."  With  that  he  broke  the  seal  of  the  envelope, 
drew  forth  the  enclosure,  unfolded  it,  and  read  as 
follows : 

"Republic  of  Mexico,  State  of  Chihuahua. 

Janos,  September  8th,  18 — . 
Joshua  Humble,  Esq. : 

My  dear  sir:  When  I  parted  from  you  in  your 
office  fourteen  months  ago,  I  firmly  resolved  not  to 
communicate  with  anybody  in  St.  Louis  nor  to  return 
there  until  I  could  bring  with  me  the  slanderer, 
forger  and  murderer — Sol.  Miserleigh.  But  I  did 
not  reckon  on  a  long  and  perilous  pursuit,  and  hence 
my  long  silence.  However,  now  that  the  chase  is 
ended,  and  realizing  from  experience  the  grave  un- 
certainty of  life  in  this  wilderness,  I  have  decided, 
for  business  reasons  of  great  importance  to  you, 
to  give  you  herewith  a  detailed  account  of  my  wan- 
derings in  search  of  Sol.  Miserleigh: 

(307) 


308  Joshua  Humble. 

Two  months  after  my  departure  from  St.  Louis, 
I  located  him  in  the  wilderness  of  the  Ozark  moun- 
tains, where  he  had  taken  refuge  in  a  cabin  with  a 
trapper,  whom  I  chanced  to  meet,  and  from  whom, 
by  adroit  questioning,  I  obtained  a  complete  descrip- 
tion of  his  guest,  but  I  failed  to  find  the  cabin  until 
the  following  afternoon,  and  approached  it  across  an 
open  space  a  hundred  yards  in  width.  The  cabin 
door  stood  wide  open  and  a  cheerful  fire  was  blazing 
in  the  chimney,  but  there  was  no  person  within.  I 
was  about  to  enter  when  a  peculiar  sound  attracted 
my  attention,  and  glancing  to  the  right  I  beheld  Sol. 
Miserleigh  in  trappers  costume  standing  beside  a 
large  tree.  In  his  hands  was  a  heavy  repeating  rifle 
which  was  leveled  at  my  head  and  his  finger  was 
moving  nervously  toward  the  hair  trigger. 

"Good  evening,  Mr.  Grubb,"  he  said  in  a  tone  of 
mock  courtesy.  "Will  you  do  me  the  favor,  sir,  to 
hold  up  your  hands?" 

His  eyes  gleamed  wickedly ;  I  saw  that  resistance 
would  result  in  instant  death  to  me,  and  up  went 
my  hands  above  my  head,  and,  imitating  his  insolent 
tone  of  voice,  I  replied : 

"Ah!  good  evening  Mr.  Miserleigh;  happy  to 
nleet  you  sir !" 

"Not  under  the  present  circumstances,  I  judge," 
he  rsponded  angrily.  "I've  a  mind  to  send  a  bullet 
through  your  brain,  but  it  would  be  a  shame  to  kill 
a  harmless  silly  cur.  You  imagine  yourself  a  detec- 


Experiences  of  Mr.  Grubb.  309 

tive  and  have  started  out  to  capture  a  man.  Abandon 
that  foolish  purpose,  puppy,  and  go  home  and  re- 
sume your  business  of  Bible  pounding  and  ex- 
pounding, for  which  you  were  educated.  As  a  re- 
ligous  crank  you  may  be  successful,  while  as  a  hunter 
of  men  you  ar.e  a  ridiculous  failure.  Now  clasp  your 
hands  behind  your  back  and  turn  your  face  to  the 
left." 

I  complied  instantly  and  in  silence. 

"Now,  sir,"  resumed  Miserleigh,  "when  I  give  the 
word,  move  straight  forward  until  sunset.  I  will  fol- 
low within  rifle  range,  and  if  you  turn  to  look  back- 
ward I'll  riddle  your  body  with  bullets  !  March !" 

I  obeyed  his  command  and  moved  forward  in  a 
straight  line.  For  an  hour  I  could  hear  his  measured, 
stealthy  tread  close  in  my  rear  and  then  it  grew  more 
and  more  distant  and  finally  only  my  own  footfall 
broke  the  profound  stillness;  but  I  did  not  dare  to 
pause  until  twilight  came  and  then  I  sat  down  upon 
a  rock,  free  and  beyond  danger. 


CHAPTER  LIT. 
A  SLEUTH  ON  A.  LONG  COLD  TBAIL, 

That  nig-ht  I  returned  to  the  cabin  and  captured 
the  harmless  old  trapper,  but  Sol.  Miserleigh  had 
fled.  The  net  day  about  noon  I  struck  his  trail  about 
ten  miles  west  of  the  trapper's  cabin,  at  a  mineral 
prospector's  camp  where  he  had  purchased  a  quan- 
tity of  food,  and  for  six  months  I  followed  him  in 
that  direction,  through  the  Indian  Territory  and  on- 
ward into  Texas,  where  I  finally  lost  his  trail,  in  the 
bleak  and  treeless  wilderness  of  the  "Staked  Plains." 
He  traveled  entirely  on  foot,  and  I  was  compelled  to 
do  the  same.  He  avoided  every  human  habitation, 
but  could  not  wholly  escape  observation,  and  hence, 
from  information  obtained  from  cattlemen  and 
hunters,  I  was  enabled  to  follow  him  at  a  distance 
of  from  two  to  six  days'  travel.  I  could  have  ob- 
tained assistance,  which  was  freely  offered  to  me  on 
many  occasions,  but  I  craved  the  satisfaction  of  cap- 
turing him  alone  and  single-handed,  for '  he  had 
deeply  wounded  my  pride  and  grievously  insulted  me, 
and  I  was  possessed  of  an  insane  desire  for  revenge. 
For  months  I  wandered  over  that  trackless  waste, 

(310) 


Jt  Sleuth  on  a  Long  Cold  Trait.      311 

on  foot  and  on  horseback,  often  accompanied  by  cow- 
boys in  search  of  stray  cattle,  and  finally  I  located 
him  again  on  the  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande  river,  thirty 
miles  above  Eagle  Pass  in  a  camp  of  cattle-skinners, 
a  class  of  petty  thieves,  whom  the  cattlemen  hunt  to 
death.  I  was  in  company  of  a  troop  of  cowboys 
who  had  followed  the  trail  of  the.  mauraders  three 
days  and  nights,  and  one  morning  just  at  daydawn, 
we  raided  the  camp  and  captured  the  entire  gang, 
with  the  exception  of  Sol.  Miserleigh  and  the  leader, 
a  gray  sun-browned  old  villian  who  plunged  into  the 
river  and  escaped  to  the  Mexican  side.  Even  amid 
the  excitement  and  confusion  of  the  battle,  Sol.  Mis- 
erleigh recognized  me,  and  when  he  reached  a  point 
of  safety  on  the  opposite  shore,  he  shouted  back 
defiance  accompanied  by  frightful  blasphemy  and 
violent  menacing  gestures. 

That  night,  regardless  of  the  warnings  of  my 
brave  companions,  I  swam  the  Rio  Grande,  and  the 
following  day  on  foot  tracked  the  two  fugitives  to 
a  hacienda  twenty  miles  distant  in  Mexico.  Fortu- 
nately, the  owner  of  the  hacienda,  a  handsome, 
princely  old  gentleman,  was  at  home,  and  to  him  I 
frankly  disclosed  the  object  of  my  visit.  He  listened 
attentively  and  in  grave  silence,  and  when  J  had 
finished  he  responded  slowly  and  with  the  peculiar 
Spanish  accent,  as  he  stroked  his  long  white  beard 
thoughtfully : 

"Yours  is  a  perilous  venture  my  young  friend, 


312  Joshua  Humble. 

very  difficult  indeed,  and  ten  to  one  are  the  chances 
that  you  will  lose  your  life  if  you  persist  in  your 
endeavors  to  capture  that  bold  bad  man.  Two  hours 
ago  your  enemy  and  his  evil  companion  went  west- 
ward toward  that  mountain  wilderness  which  you 
see  in  the  distance.  They  went  in  great  haste,  evi- 
dently anticipating  pursuit.  You  must  not  follow 
them  alone,  I  will  furnish  you  a  guide — a  man  of 
courage  and  discretion,  whose  advice  you  must  not 
fail  to  heed.  But  do  not  attempt  to  capture  your 
man  on  Mexican  soil,  for  that  would  be  a  gross  vio- 
lations of  our  laws.  Follow  him  carefully,  prudently, 
skillfully  and  eventually  upon  American  soil  you  may 
accomplish  your  purpose.  I  bid  you  God  speed." 

An  hour  afterwards,  accompanied  by  my  guide, 
I  started  westward  on  foot  on  the  trail  of  the  fugitives 
who  were  mounted  on  burros,  which  they  had  pur- 
chased at  the  hacienda.  For  six  days  we  followed 
them  without  difficulty,  along  a  plain  highway,  but 
on  the  morning  of  the  seventh  day,  at  a  hacienda  in 
a  narrow  mountain  valley  my  guide  suddenly  refused 
to  accompany  me  in  any  direction,  and  thus  I  was 
left  alone  in  a  strange  land.  Fearing  treachery  I 
appealed  to  the  owner  of  the  hacienda  for  protection, 
which  was  freely  and  generously  granted,  but  he  pos- 
itively refused  to  furnish  me  a  guide  to  enable  me  to 
advance,  saying  merely: 

"It  would  be  useless  young  man,  utterly  useless, 
and  more  than  that  it  would  be  criminal,  as  it  would 


A  Sleuth  on  a  Long  Cold  Trail.      313 

speedily  result  in  the  sacrifice  of  so  many  lives.  The 
mountains  westward  are  swarming  with  banditti  and 
you  would  all  be  massacred  before  you  had  advanced 
ten  miles.  I  will  escort  you  safely  to  the  American 
frontier  but  not  one  miles  into  the  interior.  Accept 
my  affectionate  hospitality  as  long  as  you  may  desire 
to  remain  upon  my  estate.  I  give  you  faithful  pro- 
tection." 


CHAPTER  LIU. 
FUGITIVE  AND  SLEUTH  IN  A  FOREIGN  LAND. 

On  the  following  morning,  while  seated  in  the 
shade  of  the  broad  veranda  of  the  mansion  which 
faced  westward  toward  the  beetling  cliffs,  whose 
summits  were  lost  in  a  heavy  bank  of  pearly  clouds, 
I  remembered  your  parting  words,  Mr.  Humble, 
namely : 

"You  will  never  capture  Sol.  Miserleigh  alive; 
but  if  you  are  determined  to  go  in  search  of  him, 
I  admonish  you  to  be  extremely  careful  and  discreet. 
In  him  you  have  no  ordinary  man  to  deal  with,  and 
if  hard  pressed  he  will  turn  and  hunt  his  pursuers 
to  the  death."  ' 

•;.  All  that  day  I  revolved  your  words  in  my  mind 
and  resolved  to  continue  the  pursuit  and  to  press  him 
close  until  he  should  turn  hunter,  when  I  would  re- 
treat before  him  and  lure  him  across  the  northern 
border  upon  American  soil,  where  I  would  ambush 
and  capture  him  either  alive  or  dead.  At  the  first 
favorable  opportunity  I  would  go  forward  on  foot  at 
night,  to  the  next  hacienda  in  the  interior  thirty 
miles  distant,  where  I  believed  that  Miserleigh  and 

(314) 


Fugitive  and  Sleuth.  315 

his  companion  had  taken  refuge.  I  had  ascertained 
that  the  hacienda  was  a  station  of  a  stage  line  run- 
ning far  into  the  interior  and  connecting  with  an- 
other line  running  north  through  the  State  of  Chi- 
huahua to  the  American  frontier  at  Paso  del  Norte, 
and  I  conjectured  that  Sol.  Miserleigh  would  en- 
deavor to  return  to  the  United  States  by  that  route, 
with  the  purpose  of  hiding  in  the  mountain  fastness 
of  New  Mexico  to  engage  in  mining.  *  *  . 

On  the  following  night,  about  nine  o'clock,  after 
the  murderous  peons  had  all  retired  to  their  quarters, 
I  bade  adieu  to  my  kind  and  generous  host  just  out- 
side the  main  entrance  to  the  hacienda  and  walked 
away  in  the  darkness.  The  following  morning  at 
daydawn  I  reached  my  destination  and  learned  that 
the  westbound  stage  had  passed  that  point  during 
the  night,  and  that  Sol.  Miserleigh  had  taken  passage 
in  it  leaving  his  companion  at  the  hacienda  to  shift 
for  himself.  There  I  rested  during  that  day  and  em- 
ployed a  servant,  a  man  who  could  talk  both  Spanish 
and  English  fluently,  and  on  the  night  following  we 
took  passage  in  the  stage  and  followed  in  pursuit  of 
Miserleigh.  I  found  my  servant  a  most  competent 
and  faithful  man,  and  through  him  I  easily  gained  all 
the  information  necessary  to  enable  us  to  follow  the 
fugitive.  Finally,  at  a  stage  station  within  two  days' 
journey  of  Paso  del  Norte,  we  learned  that  Miser- 
leigh had  left  the  stage  at  that  point  and  gone  west- 
Ward  on  horseback,  accompanied  by  a  single  man  as 


316  Joshua  Humble. 

guide  and  servant.  There,  also,  we  alighted  and  ac- 
companied by  a  trusty  guide,  we  followed  in  pursuit 
of  the  fugitive,  being  only  six  hours  in  his  rear.  At 
a  point,  sixty  miles  west  of  the  station  where  we  had 
left  the  stage,  we  ascertained  that  Miserleigh  was  only 
about  one  hour  in  advance  of  us,  and  there  I 
dismissed  and  sent  back  our  guide  and  sent 
my  servant  forward  to  decoy  Miserleigh  in  pur- 
suit of  me,  while  I  turned  north  upon  a  broad 
highway  leading  across  the  American  border  fifteen 
miles  distant.  My  servant,  a  shrewd  and  faithful 
man,  easily  accomplished  his  task,  and  two  hours' 
later  I  had  the  extreme  satisfaction  of  beholding  Sol. 
Miserleigh  and  servant,  accompanied  by  my  servant, 
following  me  at  a  rapid  pace  about  two  miles  distant. 
I  gave  my  horse  the  rein  and  he  cantered  swifly 
along,  while  Miserleigh,  evidently  greatly  angered, 
crowded  his  horse  to  its  utmost  speed.  However, 
my  horse,  being  much  the  best  and  comparatively 
fresh,  I  easily  maintained  the  distance  between  us, 
and  just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  behind  the  mountains 
I  crossed  the  line  into  New  Mexico.  At  that  point 
I  reined  in  my  horse  and  was  revolving  in  my  mind 
how  I  might  ambush  and  capture  my  pursuer,  when 
a  voice  in  clear  ringing  tones  called  out  from  a  dense 
thicket  of  thorn  bushes  on  my  left : 

"Halt!"      .-, 

Instantly  I  obeyed  the  command,  and  then  in 
compliance  with  further  orders,  I  rode  over  and  dis- 


Fugitive  and  Sleuth.  317 

mounted  in  the  midst  of  a  company  of  revenue 
officers  of  the  United  States,  to  whom  I  hastily  ex- 
plained my  business  and  circumstances,  and  after  a 
brief  examination  of  my  credentials  the  commander 
expressed  his  willingness  to  assist  me  in  the  capture 
of  my  pursuer. 

Our  place  of  concealment  was  on  the  west  side 
of  the  road,  and  upon  the  east  was  a  sheer  precipice 
into  a  rocky  gorge  a  hundred  feet  in  depth.  We 
had  barely  time  to  make  good  our  concealment,  when 
Sol.  Miserleigh,  bareheaded  and  covered  with  dust, 
his  long  gray  hair  in  tangled  masses  floating  back 
in  the  wind,  his  horse  panting  from  exhaustion  and 
white  with  foam,  which  dripped  from  its  flanks  and 
mouth,  came  dashing  over  the  gentle  hillock  a  hun- 
dred yards  distant,  and  down  the  slope  like  a  fiend  in- 
carnate upon  a  mission  of  terrible  vengeance. 

"Make  ready!"  commanded  the  chief,  and  nine 
glittering  rifles  were  leveled  upon  the  man  and  horse, 
who  had  reached  a  point  directly  opposite  the  am- 
buscade. 

"Halt !"  rang  out  the  voice  of  the  chief,  and  Sol. 
Miserleigh  reined  in  his  horse  so  powerfully  that  it 
reared  into  the  air  and  went  reeling  backward  upon 
its  haunches.  Even  in  that  moment  of  confusion 
his  quick  glance  had  penetrated  the  thicket  and  esti- 
mated the  number  and  character  of  his  captors  and 
discovered  that  I  was  one  one  of  them,  and  instantly 
there  came  upon  his  fact  an  expression  of  scorn  and 


318  Joshua  Humble. 

hate  which  I  shall  never  forget.  As  the  horse  stag- 
gered into  an  upright  position  on  its  feet,  Sol.  Miser- 
leigh  straightened  himself  in  the  saddle  and  shaking 
his  clenched  hand  toward  me  shouted  defiantly : 

"Trapped !  Curse  you,  Phineas  Grubb !  Trapped, 
but  not  captured !" 

"Throw  up  your  hands  Sol.  Miserleigh!"  I  com- 
manded, stepping  out  into  the  opening  and  leveling 
my  rifle  at  his  head.  "You  are  now  on  American 
soil,  and  as  an  officer  of  the  law  and  the  bearer  of  a 
warrant  for  that  purpose,  I  arrest  you  upon  the 
charge  of  murder  and  command  you  to  surrender!" 

"Never!"  he  shouted  as  with  a  quick  movement 
which  I  did  not  anticipate,  he  reined  his  horse  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  road.  "Never !"  he  repeated 
savagely  as  he  plunged  the  sharp  Spanish  spurs  up- 
on his  heels,  deep  into  the  quivering  sides  of  his 
horse,  which  with  a  cry  of  pain  and  terror,  sprang 
upward  and  forward  and  went  crashing  over  the 
precipice  upon  the  tree  tops  and  rocks  below. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  gorge  we  found  him — dead, 
and  horribly  disfigured,  and  there  upon  the  spot 
where  he  plunged  to  death,  we  dug  a  grave,  wrapped 
him  in  his  blanket  and  covered  him  up  with  earth  and 
stones. 

I  am  now  enroute  homeward,  and  stopping  here 
for  a  few  days'  rest.  I  cannot  say  just  when  I  will 
be  able  to  reach  St.  Louis,  but  you  may  expect  me 
at  any  time  after  you  receive  this. 


Fugitive  and  Sleuth.  319 

Wishing  you  good  health  and  the  full  enjoyment 
of  your  old  time  prosperity,  I  remain  Sir, 

Yours  very  truly  and  faithfully, 

Phineas  Starley.     • 

alias  Grubb." 

"An  appropriate  ending  of  a  life  of  violence  and 
crime,"  said  Joshua  Humble  sadly,  as  he  folded  the 
letter,  returned  it  to  its  envelope  and  calmly  turned 
to  his  morning  duties. 


CONCLUSION. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  FIELD  OF  LIVES. 

The  passing  of  the  old;  the  advent  of  the  new; 
the  balancing  of  accounts  of  human  acts,  the  pure 
against  the  vile;  the  ravages  of  the  canker  of  time 
upon  all  things  of  earth.  These  were  the  entries  in 
the  record  of  years  as  with  swift  and  silent  motion 
they  floated  by.  And  also  "Father  Time"  had  been 
busy  swinging  his  keen  blade  with  resistless  sweep, 
reaping,  and  with  careful  hands  separating  the  evil 
from  the  good  and  saving  only  the  best  for  the 
garner  of  the  Almighty. 

And  gleaners  had  followed  the  grim  reaper, 
gathering  the  tares  and  burning  them,  until  the 
field  had  been  cleared  of  all  that  had  been  marked 
for  the  harvest;  but  here  and  there  had  been  left 
to  ripen,  a  few  souls  which  the  Master  desired  to 
preserve  for  future  use  in  the  economy  of  His  hu- 
man husbandry. 

During  the  eleven  years  which  had  passed  since 
the  important  events  which  immediately  followed 
the  flight  of  Sol.  Miserleigh,  Time  had  dealt  kindly 
and  gently  with  Joshua  Humble  and  Judge  Prye, 

(320) 


Cleanings  From  the  Field.  321 

for,  although  many  additional  lines  had  come  upon 
their  faces,  and  their  hair  and  beard  had  changed 
from  mottled  gray  to  pure  white,  in  all  other  respects 
they  were  apparently  unchanged. 

The  firm  of  Humble,  Barnes  and  Dyke,  Dealers 
in  Financial  Securities,  under  the  wise  and  careful 
guidance  of  Mr.  Humble,  had  advanced  to  a  com- 
manding position  in  the  world  of  finance  and  gained 
in  wealth  and  influence  as  the  years  came  and  de- 
parted. 

Having  accumulated  a  comfortable  competence 
in  the  practice  of  law,  Judge  Prye  had  put  aside  all 
affairs  of  business  and  had  given  himself  up  wholly 
to  the  enjoyment  of  well-earned  ease  and  comfort. 
He  had  traveled  in  foreign  lands  for  nearly  six  years 
and,  on  his  return  to  St.  Louis  he  had  become  the 
guest  of  Mr.  Humble,  and  the  two  genial  old  gen- 
tlemen were  supremely  happy  in  each  others  society. 

As  they  sat  before  a  glowing  fire  of  coal  in  an 
open  grate,  in  the  smoking  apartment  of  the  Hum- 
ble mansion,  Judge  Prye  talked  interestingly  about 
his  travels.  He  had  journeyed  through  every  civil- 
ized country  of  the  Eastern  hemisphere,  even  through 
far-off  Siam,  China,  Japan,  Turkey  and  India.  In 
Egypt  he  had  floated  down  the  sluggish  Nile  along 
whose  dream-enchanted  shores  are  strewn  the 
-crumbling  monuments  of  the  greatness  and  power  in 
the  dim  and  distant  past  of  a  now  conquered  and 
dying  country.  He  had  stood  in  the  shadows  of  the 

[21] 


322  Joshua  Humble. 

lofty  Pyramids  and  had  even  climbed  upon  the  great 
head  of  the  Sphynx  and  from  thence  beheld  the  en- 
chanting wonders  of  the  mirage  of  the  great  desert. 

Germany,  France,  Greece,  Spain,  Italy  and  the 
British  Isles  he  had  visited  and  delved  amid  their 
ruins  for  mementoes  of  their  ancient  civilization,  and 
he  described  what  he  had  experienced  and  seen  with 
the  eloquence  force  and  intelligence  of  a  true  sci- 
entist. 

The  sweet,  sparkling  wine  which  these  two  com- 
panionable old  gentlement  sipped,  and  the  choice 
fragrant  cigars  which  they  smoked  while  they  talked, 
not  only  contributed  to  their  comfort  and  increased 
their  vivacity,  but  rendered  them  somewhat  remin- 
iscent in  mind.  Gradually,  therefore,  their  conver- 
sation drifted  from  the  subject  of  the  journeying  of 
Judge  Prye  to  the  many  marvelous  improvements, 
expansive  and  industrial  development  of  St.  Louis 
during  his  absence,  until  finally  some  casual  remark 
recalled  to  memory  the  Miserleigh-Barnes  affair  of 
the  long  ago,  and  Mr.  Rumble's  wonderful  deliver- 
ance  from  bondage  and  poverty  and  his  restoration 
to  wealth,  power  and  happiness. 

"During  my  long  absence  from  St.  Louis,"  said 
Judge  Prye,  to  Mr.  Humble,  as  he  again  filled  his 
glass  with  wine  and  lighted  a  fresh  cigar,  "I  have 
often  wondered  what  has  become  of  the  minor  per- 
sonages who  figured  in  the  infamous  intrigue  of 
which  you  were  the  victim,  and  I  shall  be  much  in- 
terested if  you  will  tell  me." 


Cleanings  From  the  Field.  323 

A  very  sad  expression  came  upon  the  face  of 
Mr.  Humble  as  he  replied  slowly:  "I  dislike  to  re- 
cur to  that  gloomy  subject,  my  good  friend,  espec- 
ially on  this  occasion,  our  reunion  after  years  of 
separation.  I  wish  I  could  bury  it  in  the  graves  of 
those  who  have  gone  hence,  but  I  cannot  do  so — it 
will  not  down,  but  like  Banquo's  ghost  it  will  rise 
and  come  forth  to  vex  my  soul  with  the  remembrance 
of  those  years  of  darkness  and  woe.  But  I  do  not 
reproach  you  for  making  the  inquiry,"  he  added 
quickly,  as  he  observed  an  expression  of  regret  upon 
the  face  of  his  friend;  "no,  your  desire  for  that  in- 
formation is  entirely  natural  and  right  and  I  will 
give  it  to  you  as  briefly  as  possible  and  then  let  us 
dismiss  that  subject  forever." 

"Hunchback  Mose,  who  was  the  sole  heir  of 
Jacob  Blum  has  continued  his  brother's  business  and 
amassed  a  comfortable  competence.  He  has  also  be- 
come noted  for  his  honesty  and  truthfulness,  and 
for  scrupulous  promptness  in  the  fulfillment  of  every 
obligation,  and  for  his  generosity,  philanthropy  and 
public  spirit,  and  his  excellent  moral  character." 

"And  Phineas  Starley,  (alias  Grubb),  having  se- 
cured the  reward  of  five  thousand  dollars  offered 
for  the  capture  of  Sol.  Miserleigh,  alive  or  dead,  has 
abandoned  the  detective  business,  altogether,  and 
has  become  a  lawyer  of  considerable  ability  and 
prominence." 

"And  old  mother  Hurt,  and  the  fishwoman,  and 


324  Joshua  Humble. 

the  'Three  Graces  of  Satan'  have  gone  the  way  of 
all  the  earth,  the  former  having  died  of  old  age,  and 
the  others  of  beastly  dissipation.  As  for  'Amos  the 
Fox/  Ivafe  Steele  and  'Hairlip  Brown,'  they  have 
never  been  heard  of  since  the  day  of  their  flight  from 
their  quarters  in  the  basement  of  Sol.  Miserleigh's 
old  warehouse,  and  their  fate  may  only  be  con- 
jectured as  that  of  all  people  of  their  class  whom 
the  Lord  is  sure  to  overtake  and  overwhelm  in  due 
rime." 

"And  the  kind  and  faithful  old  soul,  Mrs.  O'Keefe, 
has  passed  beyond  the  realm  of  mortal  pain  and  sor- 
row, to  the  inheritance  of  'the  just  made  perfect,' 
leaving  forever  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  her 
children  the  impress  of  her  wise  precepts  and  pure 
example." 

With  that  brief  statement,  the  subject  was  dis- 
missed abruptly  and  the  conversation  drifted  to  other 
and  more  agreeable  matters  and  it  was  long  past 
midnight  before  they  became  aware  of  the  lateness 
of  the  hour  and  reluctantly  parted  for  the  night. 

And  now,  it  becomes  necessary  for  the  author  to 
acquaint  the  reader  with  what  Mr.  Humble  did  not 
tell  to  Judge  Prye,  because  of  this  bit  of  personal 
history  of  which  he  had  been  informed  during  his 
journeyings,  by  correspondence  with  Mr.  Humble, 
namely : 

Claude  Humble  had  returned  to  his  old  home 
and  engaged  in  a  profitable  business,  and  was  a  con- 
stant source  of  pride  to  his  father. 


Cleanings  From  the  Field.  325 

•',"••  i 

And  Paul  Dyke  and  his  beautiful  and  loving  wife, 
Valentina,  had  in  their  luxurious  home  experienced 
but  a  succession  of  joys,  for  to  them  each  day  had 
brought  new  happiness,  and  each  year  had  but  mul- 
tiplied and  strengthened  the  ties  which  bound  them 
together  in  common  interest,  sympathy  and  affection. 

And  during  these  eleven  years,  the  Lord  had 
blessed  them  with  three  beautiful  children,  and  with- 
in the  old  Barnes  mansion,  all  day  long  were  sounds 
of  childish  glee,  and  when  the  loving  husband  and 
father  returned  to  his  home  at  night,  three  pairs  of 
little  feet  went  tripping  joyfully  to  meet  him  at  the 
gate,  and  three  pairs  of  white  dimpled  little  hands 
were  clasped  about  his  knees,  and  three  pairs  of 
sweet  childish  lips  were  pouted  for  the  loving  kisses 
which  he  always  gave  them.  And  a  calm,  sweet-faced 
woman  stood  just  within  the  twilight  of  the  door- 
way, waiting,  silently,  modestly  in  deep  and  thrill- 
ing emotion,  to  welcome  him  home — not  with  empty 
words  and  profuse  manifestations  of  affection,  but 
with  the  silent  eloquent  language  of  the  human  soul, 
which  may  be  read  only  in  the  eyes — waiting  for  the 
kisses  which  on  each  occasion  were  as  new  and  • 
sweet  and  wonderful  as  the  kisses  of  their  betrothal 
eleven  years  before,  'v  .*».••  .  <  •  •  { 

'  And  those  eleven  years  had  wrought  great 
changes  in  the  persons  and  characters  of  little  Alice 
and  George  Barnes,  the  former  "little"  Alice  no 
longer,  but  the  fair  and  accomplished  Miss  Alice 


326  Joshua  Humble. 

Snow,  granddaughter  of  the  wealthy  stock-broker, 
Joshua  Humble.  As  for  George  Barnes,  he  had 
changed  from  a  mere  beardless  boy  to  a  man  of 
magnificent  mental  endowments  and  physical  de- 
velopment— an  exact  likeness  and  image  of  his  noble 
father,  and  under  Joshua  Rumble's  careful  training 
he  had  acquired  a  business  knowledge  and  experi- 
ence and  a  confident  self-reliance  which  enabled  him 
to  meet  successfully  the  requirements  of  every 
emergency. 

i      And  so,  in  the  full  tide  of  perfect  manhood  and 
womanhood,  George  and  Alice  were  married,  and 
their  wedding  at  the  Humble  mansion  was  one  of 
the  grandest  events  of  the  kind  that  had  ever  trans- 
pired in  the  city.    All  of  the  old  friends  were  present 
on  that  interesting  occasion,  inclduing  Hunchback 
Mose,  .Lawyer  Starley,  (alias  Grubb),  and  the  mar- 
riage ceremony  was  beautiful  and  impressive,  and 
the  wedding  feast  was  sumptuous,  and  the  presents 
numerous  and  elegant.    But  the  gift  which  attracted 
the  most  attention  of  all,  was  one  to  the  groom  from 
Joshua  Humble,  an  American  clock  in  a  frame  of 
solid  wrought  gold,  two  feet  in  height,  inclosed  in  an 
oval  case  of  plate  glass  on  which  was  traced  in  in- 
laid letters  of  gold  the  following  quaint  old  stanza: 
"Here  my  master  bids  me  stand, 
And  mark  the  time  with  faithful  hand. 
What  is  his  will,  is  my  delight — 
To  serve  him  well  by  day  and  night. 


Cleanings  From  the  Field.  327 

Master,  be  wise  and  learn  of  me, 
To  serve  thy  God,  as  I  serve  thee." 

The  present  of  Joshua  Humble  to  the  bride  was 
contained  in  a  letter  addressed  to  her,  which  read 
as  follows: 

"Light  of  our  home — Treasure  of  our  hearts !  All 
we  have  is  thine;  but  that  you  may  not  be  wholly 
dependent  on  your  husband,  I  give  you  herein  my 
bank  order  for  fifty  thousand  dollars,  to  supply  your 
individual  wan,ts  until  the  Master  calls  me  hence.  — 

Grandpa." 

And  thus  the  dream  of  little  Alice  was  literally 
fulfilled,  and  thus  the  cup  of  Joshua  Humble's  hap- 
piness was  filled  to  the  brim.  Years  have  passed 
since  then,  but  Joshua  Humble,  with  eyes  undimmed 
and  mind  unclouded,  still  lives  and  performs  his  daily 
duties  with  the  same  care  and  skill  as  in  his  early 
life.  And  in  his  home  may  be  heard  the  prattle  of 
children — the  children  of  George  and  Alice,  and  the 
low,  sweet  lulaby  of  the  fair  young  mother  crooning 
her  baby  on  her  bosom.  And  at  the  window  are 
beautiful  baby  faces  peering  out  into  the  gathering 
twilight — watching  for  the  first  glimpse  of  papa  and 
grandpa  returning  home  from  the  business  of  the 
day. 

And  Joshua  Humble's  good  sister,  Almira,  still 
lives,  but  she  has  grown  feeble  and  childish,  and  sits 
all  day  by  the  fire,  knitting — knitting — knitting,  and 
looking  steadily  down  into  the  glowing  embers; 
thinking — thinking  of  the  past.  Her  noble  brother 


328  Joshua  Humble. 

is  her  favorite  theme  of  conversation,  and  these  are 
always  her  concluding  words: 

"The  good  Lord  has  lengthened  the  days  of 
Joshua  Humble,  far  beyond  the  limit  of  human  life, 
in  compensation  for  the  long  years  of  his  woe  and 
humiliation  as  the  slave  of  Sol.  Miserleigh." 


THE  END. 


S 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRA  Y  FACIUT 


A    000  032  942    5 


